For Honor: The Wu Lin
by FireWolfXT
Summary: 4 new heroes have traveled west from a land from the far east. What will they do and how will their presence change the war as we know it? *For Honor belongs to Ubisoft. Originally wrote this story on Wattpad.
1. Ch 1

Days. It's been days since they have started traveling together. Days of endless walking and dry desserts. Days of silence other than the occasional "breakfast is ready", "lunch is ready", or "Dinner is ready". Days of constant paranoia and suspicion that one of the others or all of them are gonna stab you in the back when you're not looking. Days of limited sleep because of the idea that one of others might slit your throat. Days since outsider, warriors, and loners have been forced to travel and work together to survive.

They didn't even know each other's name. Whenever they did address each other, they always referred to them by their titles. The eldest of the group was known as Jiang Jun. The only female was known as Nuxia. The slim, bald male was called Shaolin. Finally, the most armored male was Tiandi. These were the name they used for each other when they needed to speak to one another but other than that, they did not know each other's birth names. They simply didn't trust each other enough.

Tonight they are currently sitting around a camp fire in the middle of a forest. They had just gotten out of what they seemed to think an endless dessert. There were large lakes nearby which was good. The water they all packed was almost finished. If they hadn't found this forest and their lakes, they would of probably died in the dessert, rotting away in the sand as the dessert buries their remains.

But that wouldn't have been a problem for either of them. They were all ready to die one way or another. To them, death was a toy, a power they hold over others, sharpened to perfection from years and years of training.

All four of these warriors originated from the same land: China. Their home, their dynasty. But they no longer held the right to call it their home. They are outsiders now. The only thing they all have of their own are the armor on their backs and the weapons in their hands.

But they had no problem with that either. They have accepted it. There was no changing it back.

The days of silence between the four travelers were starting to become unbearable to the shaolin monk. Though he was trained to have immense patience, the silence and mistrust was too much.

"So... what are your names?" the monk said cheerfully.

Everyone was looking down, lost in thought before they heard his voice. They all looked up at him with eyes wide in surprise, shocked that one of them were actually to make conversation.

They then all looked at each other to see which of them would say their name first but no one did. It was not fear that sealed their mouths but complete mistrust.

When no one spoke, the monk sighs in disappointment before speaking again. "My name is Wei. Wei Chang. It is an honor to meet you all". He then bowed with his hands together, showing respect.

Wei then stood back up straight to look at his traveling companions to see and hear them introduce themselves but silence filled the air. Wei, discouraged, was about to sit back down before the elder of the group got up as well, surprising everyone including Wei.

The jiang jun put a hand on his back and stretched before talking. "Finally" he sighed. "Someone has broken this cursed silence! I was actually starting to become insane" he chuckled. "My name is Guan Yu. Pleasure to meet you all!" he said heartily.

"Well, you two are overly cheery aren't you" said a feminine voice.

Everyone then turned to the only female of the group. Said female, who the spotlight was on, decided to speak again.

"My name is Lin Yao" she said. Guan and Wei then bowed to her before all eyes came upon the last member of their party, the Tiandi.

Guan Yu decided to take the first step. "So may we ask who you might be young man?" he said politely. The Tiandi did not speak, instead continued to stare at the fire as if it was more interesting than the conversation at hand.

"C'mon man it be unfair if you don't tell us when we all have" Wei said smiling positively. He then walked to the Tiandi and put a hand on his shoulder. "You can trust-

"Don't touch me!" the Tiandi shouted, standing up and backing away from the monk, all the while pointing his dao sword at him.

"Why should I trust you? Why should I trust outsiders with even my name?" he said to the the group.

"Because you're an outsider too" Lin said. The Tiandi then shot his head towards her direction and glared at her. She continued. "We're all in the same boat, so we might as well be friendly with each other. I don't see a problem with that" she said.

The Tiandi shot his head around the people around him, from Guan to Lin and final Wei. He stared at him for some time still holding his sword to him.

"Look, you don't have to trust us completely. To be truthful, I don't fully trust any of one as well but I want to change that" Wei said. He then advanced towards the Tiandi before stopping an inch before the blade. "So how about it?"

The Tiandi stared at him and his eyes. In them he saw honesty and determination, feelings that melted him to the core. He sighed and put down his blade and held his hand towards the shaolin.

"... I'm sorry" he said simply.

Wei smiled and shaken his hand before the Tiandi went to the other two and shook their hands as well.

"My name is Shidou. It's an honor to meet you all" he said to the group, a small smile on his face as he said it.

At that point, the first block was placed. All be it a small one, it was the first one to the grand mansion that is to be their friendship and more were ready to be placed.


	2. Ch 2

The days that followed after the night were easy ones, filled with words father than silence. Everyone was warming up to each other, even if it was a little bit. At least they trust each other enough to have good conversations.

They talked to each other about almost anything that comes to mind whether it be about things one likes or hates, whatever, they spoke about it. They however have not talked about anything personal like family or previous jobs.

"So Lin... dual wielding eh?" Guan said to the only female.

"Yes I dual wield. Is that a problem?" she asked now engaged in what the old man was trying to say.

"Oh nothing. It's just as a general who has fought on the battlefield numerous times, you tend to see what styles of fighting work and don't work on the battlefield and dual wielding, from what I have seen in my years can only get you so far until..." he said before running his thumb across his neck in a slitting manner.

Lin, of course, already knew this information but did not mind being told it again. She knew the risks she was taking wielding weapons such as her hook swords and accepted them because they were her weapon of choice. They suited her greatly than a typical dao Shidou wields. Has more cutting power than a bo staff and is easier to wield than a quandao.

"Hmm... I understand your point and I appreciate the light warning but do not fret to much about it. Have faith in my abilities and skill okay?" she said calmly to the general.

"Of course I do! No doubt you are a master with those swords. At least they are somewhat suitable weapons" Guan said while aiming the last part at Wei with a teasing smile on his face.

Wei joins the conversation smiling. "Ahh, but you miss one detail Guan"

"What may that be?"

"What if you DIDN'T want to kill someone?" Wei asked.

"That's absurd! Why would you not kill on the battlefield?" Guan asked the monk.

"Battles are few and far between and do not happen everyday. If you wish to carry any sort of weapon with you, a staff is the most convenient as it is subtle as a walking stick, enough power to beat an opponent without killing but if you so wish, CAN kill" Wei explained.

"But-"

Suddenly Shidou stops, causing the group to stop as well. They look at him questioningly as to why he had stopped but he answers them all by pointing to something. They all look where he points and they all see something they haven't seen in a long time: a house. It was worn down as nature had overtaken it, covering the exterior in vines and fallen leaves. It had a traditional Japanese house design, to it which our warriors did not know for they have never heard or seen the culture before. The only door was a sliding door and was absent in terms of windows. The tiled roof was slanted down, letting rain water slide down. It was worn down and broken from a long time of neglect, bearing holes in the walls and roof and the overgrowth of plant life.

The four warriors eyed it cautiously as if it were a monster ready to pounce at them at any second.

"I'll go" said Lin who started forward the house.

"Wait-"

"I'll call for trouble" said Lin not even stopping. The boys all reluctantly nodded and wait for her signal which did not so long.

"No danger here!" she called out. The boys headed towards the door where Lin awaited for them.

"Find anything!" questioned the Jiang Jun.

"Actually yeah. Check this out" and she opened the sliding door to the house. The interior was starting to get overrun with plants and there wasn't that many furniture. A few mats, boxes, but what pulled their attention was lying against the wall: a decapitated body with the head at its side.

Seeing a dead body did not faze the four but what it was doing here was unclear. Wei walked up to the body and crouched down for inspection. The body was not a regular bystander. It was an armored warrior and a nicely armored one at that. the body was male and was covered in plate armor with leather underneath and chain-mail underneath the leather as well. Their standards were fading but the color was still clear. It was primarily green and yellow with a black symbol of a crown on top. Wei then looked at the helmet to see a curved spherical helmet on it with chain-mail underneath.

"The body has been dead for a while. Judging from the decay, it's been here for about one or two weeks since he was killed" Wei said.

"Hey guys, look at this" said Shidou. they all looked at them to see him wielding a long sword with a brown leather grip and a metal guard.

"What a fascinating design" commented the Nuxia.

"Indeed but what was he doing here? I may not be an expert but he doesn't look like he belongs here"

"Hmmm... Guan what do you..." started Shidou but found Guan not present in the room.

"Ummm... where is he?"

As if on cue the old general yelled out for his comrades outside. They all excited the house and head towards his voice and found him near a large tree a walk away from the house. He was staring down at something and when his companions came to, they saw as well: two more bodies.

They were significantly different though. One of the bodies was a female, a deep red cloth covering her breast. she was garbed in leather protection on different parts of her body which were the shoulder and one leg. The protection on the leg was a red fabric with a bear claw on it. She had an assortment of tattoos on her of designs foreign to the Chinese warriors and to top it off, she had a metal helm with broken horns at the side.

The next warrior was clad in wooden armor on his chest, forearms, shoulders, and legs with only the helmet being composed of metal. the obvious male was also wearing a blue and red coat over the wooden chest piece and if he was tuned around, they would find a black dragon on it.

At their feet were their weapons. The female wielded a large axe with runes carved on the shaft and by the male a long, but thin sword.

The four were now completely baffled. Three different bodies, with different kinds of armor, with different kinds of weapons, and were all dead.

"We should scavenge for supplies and keep going" Shidou said.

They all agreed and after a short while they all gathered what they can which wasn't a lot. Most of the food were bad and the blankets were too worn down to use but they did get one thing.

"Shidou look at these"

"What is Lin?"

Lin showed him and the rest what she had found: bags filled with steel coins.

"This could be the currency of this land. We should take it considering we're close to whatever town that's near here" she explained.

They all agree and split the coins into four bags. They all pocket their share and head off away from the house.

"What a greeting eh?" Jested Wei.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean we are entering into new territory never seen by our people and the first thing we see are three dead bodies. Not the average welcoming party if I do say so myself"

Shidou agrees with the monk. If what they had seen could be any warning, it would be that there is going to be trouble in this new land they are entering. They would soon find out that they aren't just entering into trouble but a thousand year old war.


	3. Ch 3

After inspecting the house a bit more, the four warriors continued on with their journey to this new and foreign land. They walked for a while, stopping once in a while to look at the scenery around them.

They stopped once again when Wei made a wager with them suddenly.

"I bet you 25 steel each that I can climb that tree..." He then pointed to a large, tall tree about 20 meters tall. "... in less than 2 minutes"

They all agreed and sat down to watch the monk work.

"This'll be fun" Commented Lin.

"Indeed. 3... 2... 1... go!"

Wei took off immediately, dropping his staff and started climbing the tree. His pace was quick and precise, almost as if he climbed this tree a thousand times when in reality, he didn't. By the time he was half way, it had already been 45 seconds in Guan's mind, who was counting.

He climbed and climbed until he reached the very top and looked down at his comrades. From his height, he heard clapping and climbed back down.

"That was amazing my boy! Well done" complimented Guan.

"Indeed. I have never seen a climber such as you before" Added Lin

"Here. As Promised" They all started to take out 25 steel from their pouches to give to Wei but Wei stopped them.

"It's okay, it's okay" Wei held up his hands, to further stop them. "Seeing your reactions were all I needed"

They all smiled, enjoying the moment, and patted Wei on his back in congratulations. It had only been a few days since the start of the four warriors relationship but they had progressed rather nicely, now feeling, for the most part, calm and comfortable with each other . It made them all nearly forget where they were and their circumstances.

Until a little girl's voice knocked them back to reality.

"Are you guys lost?"

The moment the foreign voiced reached their ears, the warrior in them took action, unsheathing their weapons and taking a battle stance as they looked for the source of the voice.

The girl was hiding behind a tree when she spoke and when she saw them hold their weapons, she shrieked, falling flat on her butt and attracting the warriors to her position. The first to come was Lin who proceeded to aim the dagger portions of her swords at the little girl, making the little girl tremble on the spot.

As soon as the warriors saw her, they all sheathed their weapons immediately.

Guan was the first to respond to the little girl. "We are SO sorry little one! Do not fear, we won't hurt you". The girl continued to tremble before them, to scared to talk. Guan Yu signed and kneeled down in front of the girl, raising both his hands, indicating no weapons. "My name is Guan" He then pointed to his comrades calmly. "That is Shidou. Wei. And Lin. And you are?"

"Y-Yuki"

"Okay Yuki, a thousand apologies for aiming our arms against you" Guan then bowed his head down slightly.

"I-It's okay but are you guys lost?" Yuki asked again.

"Yeah we... actually are. You don't happen to live in a nearby town do you?" Lin asked.

"Of course I do! I wouldn't wander too, _too_ far from my village especially during a war" she said happily.

"EH?!" the four warriors said in unison with faces of shock.

"Can you tell us about this war? We aren't from here" Asked Shidou.

"You guys are outsiders?! Woah!" her eyes then started to sparkle in amazement, gazing at the warriors from a land unknown by the people of the three regions. "I can't really tell you much but my daddy know more than me. I take you to him! Come on!" Yuki then started in the direction of her village, taking Guan's hand as she walked. The others followed suit.

A war. It seems as though god, fate, or whatever living deity out there had it in for them. China was ridden with civil war with not one sign of stopping, of peace. That was the other reason as to why the four left. They were tired of it and wanted nothing more than for it to disappear but it didn't happen, not in their lifetime at least, so they left. That and also because of very, very, VERY, personal reasons.

The five of them walked for sometimes until they reached one of the gates to Yuki's village. The first thing the warriors noticed about her village was the smell. Around them was a market place fillet with stores and restaurants selling all types of wares like food, clothes, and smoke from cooking food In their journey the warriors did not have the pleasure of finely cooked meals but roasted meat and boiled water which were starting to become tiresome to eat as they journeyed.

The people around the market place stopped what they were doing and looked at the newcomers of their village. Their faces bore a mixed expression of fear and wonder and so, stood away from them. Some of the men and guards even grabbed their katanas and faced them.

From the crowd, a man appeared. He had the same weapon as one of the dead warriors the four saw but the armor was different. The coat was longer and the wooden armor pieces looked slimmer than the ones they saw before. His colors were also different being that of green and light green.

His eyes widen as soon as he sees Yuki. "Unhand that girl!" The man yelled out.

Yuki immediately let go of Guan's hand and ran to the man's side. She looked at the four warriors in worry and was about to tell the man to not harm them but before she could speak, the man speaks again in his commanding voice.

"Who are you?! And what is your business here?!"

Shidou steps up and walks slowly to, presumably, the leader.

"Drop your Sword!" yelled one of the surrounding warriors. It was a big man wearing a mask resembling that of a demon.

Shidou nods and drops his sword and walks ups the leader is confident steps. The leader shook slightly where he stood. it was if he was facing an emperor. An elegant, strong, and confidant leader but he was just a simple warrior... right?

Shidou now stood right in front the village leader and for a small time, everything was silent and still. Then Shidou broke it.

In a nonchalant voice, he said simply "We just want to talk. Can we do that?"


	4. Ch 4

The four warriors sat in a large manor, similar to the house they encountered in the woods but bigger by ten times. A table was in front of them with a tea kettle upon it, steaming with newly made tea. There was cups in front of each person at the table, each sitting on the tatami mats. All had removed their shoes before entering and sat patiently as they stared at one another.

Yuki resided near her mother and the warrior, who revealed himself as Yuki's father. The latter of the two took off his helmet after entering his home. He was in the middle with his wife and daughter at his sides.

His wife's appearance screamed motherly and proper. She was kneeling and had a perfect posture with a straight back and head held high. Her hair was long and straight reaching her waist. Her face was that of a woman in their thirties and held elegance. Her straight face held mistrust as she scrutinized the warriors.

Yuki's appearance was like her mothers. She sat and ate her food, ignorant of the tension in the room but was able to wave at Guan Yu and getting a warm smile and a wave back.

"So..." the father started "Who are you people? What is your purpose here?".

Shidou spoke after removing his helmet, letting his short black hair out . "My name is Shidou. And these are my companions" he said, gesturing to his companions.

"Lin"

"Guan"

"Wei"

They all spoke announcing their names.

"As for why we are here..." Lin started but paused slightly, trying to find the right words. "... we are just traveling, explorers you might say"

The mother and father both raised a brow at that statement, not fully believing her.

Guan sat and ate before adding his voice to the conversation. "I can assure you both we really are adventurers. We mean you no harm"

The mother and father continued to scrutinize the four, especially their eyes for any lies. They both looked but what they found were not dishonest people but souls of warriors, hardened by experience and training. Fighters, yes but liars, no.

They sigh at the discovery and the mother apologized for the both of them. "We are sorry for the suspicion. It's just at these times you can not just give your trust out so freely, even to those that look like you and your own".

"Tell me about it" Lin muttered under her breath which was not heard from anyone present.

"Let us introduce ourselves. I am Satou Yamamoto and this is my wife, Aika" they both bow their heads. "And you already met our daughter, Yuki"

"Heyo!" Yuki cheerfully said.

"Speaking of these times, what is happening during 'these times'?" Wei asked.

"Yes. Your daughter mentioned a war. Mind telling us about that?" Lin questioned.

The father looked gravely at the warriors while the mother looked away to hide the tears threatening to come out.

"Seven years ago, a woman by the name of Apollyon orchestrated a series of event that ultimately lead to this war. The war consist of three factions: the knights of Ashfeld, the Vikings of Valkenheim, and my people, the samurai of the Myre"

"If this woman started this war then she has to be-

"Killed? She's already dead"

Shidou stopped what he was about to say. "Then why are you still at war?" he asked. If the person who caused this war to happened died, why is there still a war?

"Because the those barbarians are nothing but greedy dogs"

All heads but Yuki - who simply put her hands over her ears - snapped towards the mother.

"They raid and pillage and take our lands. They rape our people and bring dishonor with their presence". All who were present could clearly see that the conflicts have taken a toll on the woman, who could see nothing but hate when the other factions were brought up.

Satou soothed her and wrapped his arm around her. He turns to the warriors again. "What she says is true... but we are no different. My people and myself have taken much more than just land from them. As for why we keep fighting, I suppose the fire the demon brought is too strong to simply put out"

Shidou speaks again. "What about before the war? What were those times like?"

The father puts his hand on his chin in concentration before answering. "Well... the Viking raided at least once a year on knight territory. The knights and Viking had their skirmishes but nothing war worthy while we samurai watched from afar, out of conflict"

Shidou nodded. "interesting..."

Lin raised a brow at Shidou's curiosity, finding it odd. "What does that information have to do with-"

A man then burst through the doors, panting like a wild dog. His eye were frantic and frightened as if he saw his own death before his eyes. His body was shaking and his voice was as frantic as his eyes.

"My lord! Vikings!" all eyes widened at his words. "I spotted Viking approaching our land! We're doomed!". He then collapsed on the floor.


	5. Ch 5

Yuki's father, Satou, stands up and pulls the man up. "Hey!" he yells in his face but the man was still paralyzed in fear. He then slaps the man until he says he is all good.

"Tell me EXACTLY what you saw!" Yuki's father said urgently.

"I saw a raiding party of about 100 armed warriors sir!"

"It must be the same one that's been causing trouble for the last month..." he mutters. "...But how were they able this far south in the Myre?"

"We can figure that out later"

Satou turns around to the warriors. They all had already put back their shoes and armed themselves.

"How many able warriors do you have?" Guan said

"We are not a big village. I think about 60 to 70"

The panicked man then spoke. "And the average Viking has the strength of AT LEAST 5 men!" he added.

Guan Yu looks down in thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "How good are you all with bows?"

Satou and the panicked man look at each other in confusion. Though the use of bows would certainly be useful, being able to take out a handful of soldiers, it wouldn't add a whole lot. they would still be decimated.

"Pretty good I would say. This village specializes in hunting" Satou says.

"And I'm assuming they know the land like the back of their hand right?". They nod, not entirely following what the old man is planning but still hoping he has something. "What other supplies do you have? Like bombs, traps?" Quan further asks.

"Yes but what are you planning!?" Satou yells out, losing his patience.

Guan Yu ignores him and turns his attention to the panicked man. "Point where they're coming from" he commands.

The man leads them out of the manor to the outside where the sun was starting to set, blanketing the sky in amber ready to turn into a dark night. The manor was set up on a hill that overlooked the village. A house fit for a lord.

The man points north where the Viking were, indicated by moving lights made by hand held torches. From the look of their distance, they were about an hour to an hour and a half away.

"We're going to thin the herd. Ambush them with arrow fire while they're still in the woods" Guan says, his eyes losing their jolly shine now replaced with a hardened commander. He looks to Lin. "Can you do this?"

She nods. "You!" she indicates to the panicked man. "You will help me gather able archers". He nods quickly and follows her into the village.

"Bring some traps as well Lin! Oh! And set up near the village!" Quan yells out to her.

"I Know!" she yells back, not bothering to look back.

"You're planning on taking them out by arrows?" Yuki's father said, doubtingly.

"Not entirely. Like I said, we're going to thin the herd. Weaken them by taking out a large number of their troops. They will still, in the end, reach the village. From there, we will face them in even numbers if the arrows actually work" Guan explains causing Satou to look at him, stunned.

"Do you even know if this will work?"

Instead of an affirmative yes, Satou receives a shrug.

This enrages Satou, prompting him to grab Guan by the collar, bringing his face near his.

Shidou was about to separate the two but Guan brought up his hand, stopping the tiandi.

"If you don't have any confidence in the success of this plan, why the hell should I entrust the well being of my village, OF MY FAMILY, to you?!" Satouu yells in Guan's face.

But Guan Yu does not even budge, still keeping a small but warm smile through it all. This unnerves Satou causing him to step back from the old man. It was just like his encounter with Shidou when he and his group entered the village. He radiated this calm and steady demeanor even in a stressful situation like this one where lives were at stake. It was as if he had already done this before, commanding. Their claim of just being explorers is starting to sound as if there is more to the story.

A hand landing softly on his shoulder knocks him out of his thoughts. He looks to Guan Yu, still smiling.

"My friend..." He starts. "It is not that I have no confidence in this plan. I am sure all will work out. It's just that you simply never know if something has worked until the end. Now enough talk. We must prepare'.


	6. Ch 6

lAstrid was not having a good night. After setting up camp a few miles from their next town, she was about ready to go off to sleep until the impatient leader of her raiding party announced that they were to go now. For the element of surprise, he said.

She groans and questions why she even came along this stupid trip.

_The money remember?_

Oh yeah. For her shop back home. But still... they're currently treading Dawn Empire territory like it was nothing. They had a really good run in the beginning, being able to hit towns near the water where they used ships to travel to. But things started to look bad when they started going more south. The party leader, Asmund, was too stubborn to stop and thought greater conquest awaited them the further south they went. He was right though as they gained more but also risked getting surrounded by samurai. They may not have lost any men, surprisingly, but that did not mean they could take on the wrath of the Chosen.

A shiver went down her spine suddenly. It told her something was going to happen but what it is was unknown to her.

_Why do i have a bad feeling about this? And has it always been this dark?_ she thought as the sky continued to darken and transition into early night

**Meanwhile...**

Lin, the panicked man - whose name was recently told to be Goda - and many men and women were waiting with bows in hidden locations that overlooked the path the Viking invaders were to come were fortunately on high ground and there were few trees to obscure them. They put up traps along the path, just waiting to be set off by unaware feet.

Lin waited with the archers in her location, bow in hand. She sighs disappointingly. She had thought leaving China would mean that she would also leave fighting but apparently, that wasn't meant to be... for now.

She feels a hand tap her shoulder and she turns to see Goda holding black knives with wrapping at the handles.

"You want?" he says shakily. He's still panicked it seems. "These are kunai knives. They're just tools but can be used as projectiles if need be" he adds.

Lin looks at the satchel that contains the knives. She was actually pretty good at throwing knives. It was part of her training to be a nuxia bodyguard.

"Yes. I'll take them. Thank you" she says before grabbing the satchel and attaching it to her belt.

Goda noticed her calm demeanor and steady hands and was surprised. Out of all the women that came to be archers or warriors at the ready at the village, she was the most composed. All the others were shaking in fear of what might happen to them if they were to fail in this endeavor. Of all the wrong that would befall them if they failed or were captured.

"Why are you so calm? Aren't you afraid?" Goda questioned the nuxia.

Lin doesn't look away from the path when she was asked. Her face did not change at the thoughts of if she were captured or killed.

"No" she said simply. "I am not afraid". She elaborates. "Being afraid would only hinder me. So... I simply do not fear"

"But everyone is afraid of something. It's normal to be afraid of situations like this" Goda says.

"I am afraid of something..." she mutters. Goda did not hear her and was about to ask for a repeat before Lin spoke again. "...but I am not afraid of death" she says confidently.

"Now get back to your station. They're coming soon" Lin ordered. Goda complies and leaves.

The nuxia was right in what she said. They were coming. Lin and the archers looked down the path to see moving light coming towards them and all drew their bows, ready to fire.

Lin looked at the archers around her and saw their shaking hands and scared expressions. Some even looked depressed, as if they already knew the outcome of this plan. She doubted if they were suited enough for this but decided that there's no going back.

Lin looked back to the path and saw the walking vikings. They were just like the corpse they saw at the house. Some lightly armored, some wearing no shirt, some wearing no shoes, and some donning horns on their helmets and masks. Their weapons varied from small to large axes, spears, swords, and shields.

At first glance, Lin questioned how a faction of people like these could hold out in a war against the other two factions but from what she had heard of them, they are far from slouches when it comes to battle. She and her group were told about them as if they were monsters or demons, as if they were born for battle.

**Meanwhile...**

Astrid felt on edge but not because of their raid. Something was off but couldn't point out why.

A warrior was next to her. A berserker just like her. To quell the feeling in her gut, she nudged him with her elbow and he looked at her, bags under his eyes but eyes filled with excitement. excitement for blood.

"Yeah?! What is it sister?!" he said quickly with a large smile on his face. Looks like he had one too many mushrooms because his voice sounded on edge.

"I just got a bad feeling is all-" but before she could finish, an explosion occurs at the front of the party. Screams were heard and when Astrid got quick look, she saw men on fire screaming until they fall and others falling from arrows. Astrid looks to either side to see arrows raining down upon them, killing more of her siblings in arms in the process but could not see but the dark outlines of people.

Very few of the viking had the foresight to bring ranged weapons. Most though it would be unnecessary as they thought they would have the element of surprise. The ones with bows shot out to the source of the arrow rain but weren't sure if they hit anything or not.

The vikings ran but ran toward the village, dodging arrows along the way. However, in their haste, they activated more traps that exploded fire or sharp shards.

Astrid ran along with them but was fortunate enough to not activate any nearby traps as the people in front of her took the full brunt of the attacks. The berserker she was talking to ran in front of her and other, hoping to find opponents at the end but was met with and explosion of sharp shards. She looked to him and saw that they had dug in his skin, making him look like a human pin doll. Even his eyeballs were pierced, as if they were grapes.

The viking continued to run and run until the arrow rain was gone from them but that did not mean they were out of danger. They were fairly close to their next target but along the way were traps. After what had happened, the norsemen were wary but that did not help them. Even with total caution on their minds they still activated some traps and considering they had large blast radius, they took out some of their men and women.

Their party of 100 trickled down to a party of 50.

As soon as the raiding party came upon the gate of the village, some were confused and distrusting at the fact the gate was partly opened. The cautious few stood back, thinking this to be another trap but the... courageous ones only saw red. They had lost their fellow kinsmen and women from puny arrows and puny traps and they wanted retribution. They charged the gate and pushed it open and were greeted with arrow fire. Another 10 soldiers down.

The soldiers with shield formed a shield wall to protect them and the others in their party, leaving them at a stand still with the denizens of the village.

Astrid peaked out of a hole in between the shields and saw an old man, with a large naginata-like weapon, a baldy with a staff which Astrid snickered a bit at, and an armored man with a thick sword.

_They are NOT samurai_ Astrid concluded immediately. She has fought many Chosen before and knew the weapons and armor of them and the knights like the back of her hand but these people were different. Similar to the japanese Samurai but still vastly different.

The bald man spoke first with a happy go lucky smile. "We're giving you all two choices: surrender peacefully and face justice for your crimes or..." he points to his armored friend.

"We MAKE you surrender" he concludes threateningly.

Asmund, the party leader and raider, held a large shield in his left hand in front of him while holding a large axe in his right. He walked in Front of the shield wall and addressed them with anger in his voice.

"Listen up you slanted eyed, tiny cock, small breasted mutts!..."

Wei leaned his back a little bit and put a hand to his chest jokingly. "Well..." he said sounding as if he was offended.

Asmund continued. "If you think we will just turn back, You're wrong! We are Warborn! We are stronger than ANY of you! We will not give up even if you put blades in our throats! We will take your lives like how you took our brothers and sisters! We will take your women and children as ours! We will take everything you hold dear! Do you understand me?!"

"It's hard NOT to when you're screaming that loud" Wei chuckles at him.

Asmund growls. "Soldiers!" he screams out. "March!" and they move forward to the village. They shoot arrows at them but their shields were strong and held through.

Lin meanwhile was making her way back to the village using the path the vikings traveled on. From what she can see, they activated most of them, leaving only a couple left.

Thinking the traps could come in handy, she carefully digs them back up and continues her way back. When she finally arrives at the gate, the vikings were pushing into the village with their shields ups. They were focusing solely on breaching into the village that they didn't look behind and see her. She smirks. She quietly sneaks a few meters behind them and sets up a fire trap before getting as far as she can. She sets up the others and takes out a kunai.

She takes a deep breath and looks at the group. She sees a helmetless viking and aims for the head. With the flick of her wrist the kunai flew in the air before landing deep into the viking's head.

This attracts the attention of some of the surrounding warriors who then see Lin. Seeing as they weren't needed for the shield wall, they ran towards her, weapons high but before they could reach her, the fire trap near them activates. The soldiers drop to the floor burning and screaming.

The raiding party becomes distracted and the shield wall falters. The villagers end up running out of arrows and pull out their swords and other arms.

"Charge!" Satou screams. They all give a loud battle cry before charging the norsemen. The two sides collide in conflict.

Wei is swift and nimble as he battles through the hoard of vikings. Despite his appearance, he hardly falters as he swings his staff around, connecting with the enemy soldiers. Although less lethal than his comrades, his staff still hurts the lightly armored invaders, allowing others to come to finish them off.

Shidou is efficient and quick in his attacks, slicing through the vikings. He aims his swings like a master, slicing guts and cutting throats with his dao. His nimble body also delivers powerful kicks towards the enemy and wind knocking palm strikes.

Guan Yu swings his guandao in wide horizontal motions cutting through the enemy like butter. All who saw were wary to approach in fear they will be caught in the swings and be cut in two.

As soon as all the traps were depleted, Lin engaged the enemy. Dual wielding on the battle field on the battlefield is usually not a good choice but there are some that prove even the veterans of war wrong. Lin moves with a dancer's grace, cutting and evading her enemy's attacks before driving the dagger or sword end into their body, immobilizing or killing them.

Asmund cleaves through the villagers with brutal strength but soon notices his numbers were falling and falling quick. he looks to the four warriors and see them take out more soldiers than anybody here.

Combined with the efforts of Satou and the villagers, the 40 hit 11.

**A/N: Long one I know but a good one I think. Please leave comments! I appreciate them greatly**


	7. Ch 7

The villagers suffered losses as well with dropping to half their numbers. They surround the norsemen to keep they from escaping.

Asmund and 9 others of his party were surrounded but were still ready to fight to the death. The four warriors came out of the crowd and faced them.

The warriors charge each other. Lin engages with a spear and buckler wielding woman. She was buff and most likely strong as well. Lin toyed with the woman, ducking under her attacks and deflecting the heavy swings. The woman tries to bash her in with her shield but Lin was still to quick for her. She dodges the shield and stabs her side with the dagger end of one of her swords. The woman staggers back and tries to create some distance but Lin leaps towards her landing a dagger into her throat. The woman stumbles back and falls down drowning in her blood.

Shidou faced a well armored man with a sword and shield and a couple of dual ax wielders. He targets the dual wielders first, leaping to one of them and cutting them across their bare chest. he does not relent in his attack as he then proceeds to delivers powerful slice after powerful slice at the berserker until he falls. He barely put up a defense.

The other berserker tried to take Shidou by surprise attacking his back side. It would have worked too if he didn't make so much noise raking his feet across the ground and in turn making noise on the dirt path. Shidou parries the attack and then kicks his knees hard causing him to fall down. Shidou also brought his body down and places his dao where the berserker's neck was going to be. The sword stabs through the neck and Shidou pulls it out to face the warlord.

They charge each other. Shidou kicked the front of the shield hard but did not do much. It caused the warlord and Shidou to stumble before the warlord swung his sword from Shidou's left and then right. The attacks were powerful and Shidou's arms ached from the power they had. He backs ups and shakes his arms before charging back in. He attacks his shield with a flurry of low damaging attacks, only meant to put pressure than to actually hurt him.

The warlord blocks the attacks but before he could form any counterattack, his legs were swept underneath him causing him to fall. Shidou uses this and delivers a powerful overhead attack at the head. He specifically aimed for the jaw area as it was the least armored. Shidou vertically cuts the warlord's lower jaw causing him to scream in immense pain and clutch his jaw. The tiandi was not finished. He took off the warlord's helmet revealing a middle aged man with no hair but a thick beard. The warlord only had a few seconds before his head was split open by Shidou's sword.

Wei faced twins. Both were females with shaven heads with only three ponytails on the top of their heads. Both were wearing leather clothes and armor. They were also equipped with a hatchet in one hand and a kukri knife in the other.

Both charge at Wei but the shaolin evaded the shaman twins before hitting one in the head, disorienting them. He uses this small window to then hit her in the belly and sweeping them under their feet with his staff. With one of the twins on the floor, Wei turns to the other shaman and attacks immediately.

He starts from the bottom and hits her in the left ankle making her stumble before attacking back with a swipe of her dagger at Wei's unprotected face. Wei stuns her by not dodging the attack but blocking it with his arm bracer. She recovers and starts to attack crazily making the shaolin move back from her approaching form. He just keeps blocking her attacks until the shaman starts to run out of breath and her attacks start to slow and lose their power. Wei acts on this, hitting her torso in three consecutive hits before doing the same attack again but on the other side. Wei then swings hard at her right before jumping up, raising his staff behind him before coming down on shaman with a powerful attack on the head. A crack was heard upon impact and the shaman falls on the ground violently shaking.

The first shaman gets back up but not before witnessing her sister being defeated. She screams in rage before charging Wei with her hatchet raised but before she could land the ax into his neck, Wei turns and swings his staff at her face, cracking her lower jaw before rending her unconscious.

Guan Yu was facing three men: two shirtless men with huge axes like Asmund and sword & shield warrior. The old general stood his right hand on his weapon with the left behind his back. He radiated confidence.

One of the men laughs at him. "Bet he'll break his back if he takes an other swing"

His compatriots laugh as well. "Hey old man! How about you sit this out while we finish off your friends?!" he lets out a loud laugh.

Guan was not impressed. "Old man?! Hm!"

The three warriors were standing next to each other. Big mistake noted Guan Yu. He throws a horizontal attack at their necks. He cuts off two heads clean off. The sole survivor of the attack was trembling as he sees his headless brothers-in-arms. He looks to the old man he insulted before feeling a giant blade embed it self in his shirtless gut. The blade pulls out and the man falls over dead.

Seeing all his last warriors die unnerved Asmund. His feet felt heavy and he couldn't stop his arms from shaking. The four warriors surround him and he lets out a loud battle cry before charging the only female out of them.

He tries to swing his ax at the end of his short sprint. He threw it but ended with undesirable results. Lin deflects his attack before stabbing his left thigh. He lets out a grunts before he feels his back get sliced. He looks behind him and see Shidou with his sword in a swung down position.

"Look here!" Asmund looks to his right to see the monk running at him. As soon as Wei was within distance, he sends a flying kick at Asmund making him fall to the ground.

His ax falls out of his hand when he lands back down on the floor. Both his arms were stretched out. Asmund then feels immense pain in his right arm and sees a giant blade in between him and his severed forearm. He screams in agony as the four warriors look down on him.

"Y-You bastards! To Hel! To Hel to you all!" he screams in rage to the warriors and the villagers.

"Who want to end him?" Guan asks.

"I'll do it" Shidou says before walking up to the downed raider.

Asmund looks at him with rage filled eyes. Shidou looks back and it brought a feeling of nostalgia to him.

_I seen those eyes before..._ he thinks. _Eyes of a monster_

He grips his sword tightly and shoves the blade into the raider's gut. He does not stop there. Shidou drags the blade upward making Asmund scream in agony. He drags the blade up until the edge touches his chin and he pulls it out.

All who saw were beyond stunned. His companions were the closes to the bloody scene and did not just see the brutality but the anger. It was as if he saw something personal in the raider, something he absolutely despised.

The villagers looked only scared. They had only seen such brutality from the Vikings. Even if he was the enemy, he did not deserve such a bloody, painful fate.

Guan shakes his thoughts away and raises his weapon in the air. "WE. HAVE. WON!" he screams out.

The villagers are knocked out of their fear, happiness filling their system immediately. They cheer and start to hug each other in happiness. Some cried in relief that they were safe. The crowd surround the four warriors and hug them with all the happiness they had.

Wei was in the middle of such hug before noticing movement behind one of the tree.

There was one more left.


	8. Ch 8

***Ayu and Stigandr belong to For Honor. For Honor belongs to Ubisoft**

Astrid was sitting at the base of a tree away from the battlefield. She was panting hard. As soon as their numbers started falling, she took a full on sprint away. Warriors from the village tried to stop her but she either cut them quickly at the leg or dodged them.

Her hands were on her head and she was talking to herself.

_I ran. I can't believe I ran! I'm such a coward but... I can't afford to die yet. Odin, oh great all father, I will live gloriously for the rest of my life so I can enter your halls. Just watch._

She fumbled with her hands to get the canteen strapped to her belt. After unlatching it the metal container, she opened it and took greedy gulps to quell her fast beating heart and nerves. She was so on edge, the birds were making her jump.

She closed her eyes and focused on controling her breathing. Freaking out was not an option at the moment. She was in enemy territory very, VERY far from her home. Perhaps she can steal a horse from a village in the dead of night.

Astrid was so in thought that she did not notice the added presence of Wei next to her with a lantern in one hand and his staff in the other.

After noticing the movement from earlier, he told his group that he was going for a walk. He then headed in the direction of the movement before he heard mumbling coming from behind a tree. He walked up to the tree to see a pale Viking girl there talking to herself.

She wore green pants with darker green vertical strips. Her lower legs had wrapping made of a very light colored leather. She wore a maroon shirt with its sleeves cut off but underneath that shirt was another that was green with the ends torn up. She wore an animal pelt around her waist with a belt. In front of the belt was a metal piece depicting a hammer. On her shoulders were simple leather pads with three gold studs on them each. Her head was the most interesting part though. She had a piercing at the bridge of her nose. Her eyes were a light blue. She wore a black bandanna that even covered the back of her head. Her head was shaved say for a long strip of blonde hair at the middle of the top. It was a short mohawk. On the shaven portions had war paint on them.

At the side of her waist were her weapons: dual axes. They had fresh blood on each blade. Wei thought that he should kill her there but... there was enough killing and terror for one day. He will just take her in.

"You have an odd haircut" Astrid snaps her head up at his illuminated face. "Don't you get cold there?" he joked.

Astrid stood up and away from the shaolin. She unsheathed her weapons, holding them at her sides. She widen her feet apart and stood battle ready.

Wei put his hands up still holding his items. "Whoa, whoa. Not here to fight"

"Then what do you want?" she growled.

"You and your party lost. They are all dead". What he said did nothing but make Astrid more on edge. She took a tentative step towards him, ready to attack. "But you can live. We won't kill you. Just put your weapons away and come with me"

"And what? Become a slave for the japanese? To be their torture doll?"

"They won't do that" he reasoned.

Astrid scowled at Wei. "You aren't around here are you? You and your lot?" Wei nodded.

Wei heard her mutter 'knew it' and came one step closer. "The samurai are merciless. They take no prisoners. What makes you think I will an exception?" Astrid questions.

Wei smiles. "Because I won't let them"

"'You won't let them'? What makes you think they'll listen to you? You're just a foreigner" she replied.

"You don't have to worry about that. They will listen. Trust me"

"Why the hel should I trust you? You're the enemy remember"

She had a good point there. Both their sides were just fighting moments ago. Of course she wouldn't trust him immediately.

"You're probably upset over your fallen comrades huh?" Wei asked.

Astrid stood looking at him but her mind was else where before she responded back. "They were too ambitious and thought with muscles rather than brain. They chose their fates"

"So what will you pick? What will be your fate?"

Astrid was conflicted. She could run again but that did not feel right. She is a warrior, not a scared little girl. Plus she can't run again because he can just catch up with her. She could come along peacefully but she had no idea what they would do to her back there and that did nothing but unsettle her.

She looked at Wei's eyes. To try to pick out an ounce of deceit. His brown eyes held nothing of the sort. She saw the eyes of a warrior but not a dishonest soul. She saw a patient soul.

Her hand trembled before putting back her weapons. She walks up to Wei before stopping a few inches from his neck where her eyes leveled with. She looks up to see the smile on his face.

"Glad you're coming" he says happily. Astrid then grabs Wei by the collar and drags him so that they met at Astrid's level.

"If anything happens to me, it's on your bald head got it?" Astrid said trying to intimidate Wei.

Wei just chuckles in response. "Like I said, don't worry" and then he grabs her wrist.

Astrid blushes slightly. "I can walk on my own" she stated.

"This is so I don't lose contact with you. Plus the villagers will feel more comfortable if they know you're under watch by one of the people who helped them"

"What's your name by the way?" Wei added.

"...Astrid Earldottir. You?"

"Wei Chang"

The two walk through the forest using the way Wei used. They make it back to the village gate where the people immediately saw him and his guest.

They look at Astrid as if she is some dangerous, dirty animal ready to pounce at them at any moment. They glared swords at the woman with some even spitting in her direction.

Astrid was not taking this disrespect well. She was about ready to punch the next person who has the balls enough to spit at her but remembered Wei was with her. If he was gone, she was sure worse things would happen to her.

Wei saw how the people were treating Astrid. He raised his hand at them indicating for them to stop. Most got the message but some still dared to spit at her or spill curses at her.

He saw his traveling mates talking with Satou until they turn to him and Astrid. Satou's eye held disdain but he did not act on them thankfully.

Lin and Guan walked up to him while Shidou leaned against a pillar. "So you didn't kill the straggler" Lin asked.

"Yeah. Didn't want to. Plus she was really reasonable"

"Wow. Your hair. Do you get cold there often?" Guan asked.

"That what I said too!" Wei laughed as the general and monk high-fived each other.

Astrid steamed in slight annoyance. "Yes. It does. Now quit talking about it"

"So..." Lin said. "Why didn't you fight back?".

The berserker looked at the Nuxia with a serious face and sighed, closing her eyes. "I might as well face the consequences of my actions"

"Mature. I like that" Lin commented back.

"Whatever"

"If you want to 'face the consequences', then here it is!"

A katana blade was on a downward journey into Astrid's neck but Wei stopped it with one of his bracers. The assailant was Aika, Satou's wife.

Her face was one filled to the brim with hatred, twisted in anger at the sight of the viking. It was further advanced when Wei stopped her.

"Aika! Stop this right now!" Satou demanded of her.

"Why?! She was part of the people who tried to hurt us! Enslave us! Rape us! Kill us!". She then looked Astrid dead in the eye. "Plus, I bet she wouldn't mind going to her precious Valhalla"

Wei pushed her off him. He then pointed towards Astrid. "She isn't even a threat! Were you really willing to strike down an...". He then remembered her axes at her waist. "... well not an 'unarmed' girl but a harmless one"

"It doesn't matter!" she said stubbornly. "She is just like the rest of her people. Cruel and selfish. One who is willing to kill others for their own gain. She needs to die"

"Interesting... You really are no better than them". Aika stops in her tracks and turns to Shidou. "If you are willing to kill someone who surrendered to you, you're no better than the Vikings you oh so despise". This struck many nerves in the already heated woman. She rushed Shidou with her katana held high but Shidou simply kicked her in the gut making her drop to the floor clutching her gut. Satou stood back unsure of what to do while Yuki hid behind the pillar Shidou was on watching the whole ordeal. "You make yourselves out to be better than them. But yet you are willing to leave no survivors". Shidou turns his head slightly to Satou. "Tell me: what happens when the samurai attack the knights or Vikings?"

Satou visibly gulped as he had the answer Shidou knew he knew. "When we attack, we kill everyone there... even... children. It's like a full extermination"

"Merciless" Shidou commented before looking back down on Aika. "It seems like each faction has their own share of misdeeds"

Aika looked up in anger at Shidou before seeing her daughter behind the pillar. She looks down in shame, for showing her daughter her ugly side.

"Everyone! The empress is coming!" A man yelled out.

All but the four warriors run to the front gate. There stood horses with a samurai on each. There was about 50 of them.

What shocked them more was that there was Viking by them. They were on horses too but the party was small. About 20 of them. They all stood behind a black horse with a leather armor clad man with a bear head on his head. At his hip was a sword and on his back was his shield.

One samurai stepped off their steed. It was a woman wearing wooden armor with multiple gold spikes on it. It had a blue, white, and red paint scheme and on her helm was butterfly ornament with a white face mask.

She took off her helmet revealing her short black hair as she looked over the scene around her: viking invaders dead and a village still standing bright and alive.

"What happened here?"


	9. Ch 9

The villagers welcomed their empress and her samurai. They looked at the Vikings warily and with disdain, but when the empress assured them that they were with her, they begrudgingly let them in as well. Satou welcomed Ayu and invited her to stay at his manor for the night. She graciously accepted but asked if her Viking companion could stay as well. Aika was about to give a huge 'no' but Satou said yes and shook the Viking's hand in respect. The Viking himself introduced himself as Stigandr, jarl of the Warborn.

Ayu glanced over to the four warriors before being swarmed by the villagers wanting the chance to talk to their empress. Stigandr glances around the village and notices that it was not even damaged and a certain familiar berserker near the four warriors.

He walks up to her and Astrid looks down in shame. "So this was where you were eh? Knew something was off when Earl said you were off on a trip"

He saw that she was being held onto by one of the warriors. "You spared her?". Wei nods. "Thank you. If she died, old Earl would've probably drop dead at the news".

"Awww, it was no problem" replied Wei.

Ayu makes her way towards Stigandr and the warriors. She looks at the warriors curiously with eyes brimming with questions.

"Satou tells me you four are the reason for this village's survival. Is he correct?" she says immediately. The four are taken back by her forwardness.

Guan answers the woman. "Well... we weren't the WHOLE reason but we did help"

"Nonsense!" Satou yells out walking to them. "If it wasn't for your plan and your efforts, we wouldn't be standing here! Isn't that right everyone?!" he asks the crowd of people behind him. They all cry and yells in unison an affirmative 'yes!' before cheering for their saviors.

Shidou stands with a stoic expression but breathes out a small chuckle, a little embarrassed. Lin does the same while Guan and Wei scratch the backs of their heads with a smile on their faces.

"Awwww! You're making us blush" Wei jokes.

"Empress Ayu, Jarl Stigandr..." Satou say. Ayu and Stigandr turns to the man where he then offers dinner to the both of them. They accept but...

"Make room for them as well" Ayu point to the four. They widen their eyes slightly at that but also accept.

**Some time later...**

The four warriors are in the same room they had their previous talk with Aika and Satou. Instead of a small meal, there were large plates and bowls of food on the table. Ayu sat on one side by her lonesome while the four warriors sat opposite of her. They all sat eating but did not talk. This was because a certain Viking was running late.

"I swear, that man..." Ayu mutters angrily before sipping on her tea. The warriors sat awkwardly and quietly while Ayu was having her little quiet fit. Suddenly, the door slides open with Stigandr there rubbing his belly.

"Oh boy! I was holding that one for a long time! Note to everyone here: Don't go to the bathroom"

"Just sit down" Ayu said simply. Stigandr shrugs and plops down on the floor next to Ayu. He takes off his helmet revealing a bald head with runes tattooed all over it and sets it down next to him. He starts chewing down a bowl of noodles before Ayu grabs his wrist, stopping him.

"Can you _not_ eat so obnoxiously?" she said sounding annoyed.

Stigandr frowns at her with his mouth with food with in it. "The hel do you mean 'obnoxiously'?"

"And you're talking with a mouth filled with food. Great" Ayu says exasperated.

"My mouth is barely filled!"

"'Barely'? If that's what you define as 'barely', I'd hate to see what you consider a full mouth"

Stigandr gulps down the food still in his mouth and sets his bowl down. "Now listen here woman..." And the two leaders started arguing with one another.

"It's like an old married couple" Wei giggles. This incites a giggle from Guan and small smiles from Shidou and Lin before they brought their faces back to their normal stoic expressions.

"So..." Shidou starts. "Why do you wish to talk to us about?"

Ayu and Stigandr then remembered they had guests and straightened themselves back out. "Right down to business with this one huh?" the jarl chuckles. Ayu puts down her cup and looks the warriors before bowing her head down at them.

"Thank you" she says sincerely. The tone of her voice took the warriors back. "You have helped my people by stopping those raiders. I am willing to pay any price. Just name it"

"That's okay!" Wei tells the bowing woman. "We did because we wanted to. Not for a reward so please raise your head back up". Ayu does as the monk says.

"Regardless... I can not let you leave unrewarded. It would be a crime in of itself"

Shidou sighs at her. "We'll figure out something later if that satisfies you". Ayu nods at that.

"Okay!" Stigandr says loudly, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Not with that out of the way, lets talk about something more interesting... foreigners".

Ayu nods at the viking jarl in agreement. "Yes, we are rather curious about your origins. You all are clearly not from here"

"We left a land called China, far east from here. We're just skilled travelers. Done" Lin says to the two leader.

They looked at her surprised and more curious. She said it so quickly that it was if they were trying to hide something.

Shidou adds more. "We came here because of personal reasons. That's all you're getting out of us. But now let me ask a question: Why are the leaders of two warring factions friends?"

So they have been told thought, the two leaders. They supposed that no matter if they were foreign to their lands or not, knowledge of the war would reach them one way or another.

They look at each other before turning back to the warriors. "We... are partners along with a representative of the knight faction" Ayu said surprising the four. So this is a sort alliance thing they have going on. "We started this joint effort months ago in hopes of ushering peace between our factions"

This further surprises the warriors. China was infested with civil war. Factions within fought against one another for power but it brought nothing but blood to them and innocents. Their civil war brought destruction to their lands and they were certain China wouldn't last because of it.

"That's noble" comments Wei. "Trying reconcile and heal your lands, your people. I pray it will all work out. I wish it was the same for our lands"

"What happened in your lands?" Ayu ask the four.

Shidou sighs. Cat's out of the bag, might as well take the whole thing out. "Constant civil war with no end"

The leaders nod in understanding. When they weren't fighting against the other factions, they were fighting among themselves. Though from Shidou's tone, it was more severe for them than it is for their own.

"If it's any consultation, we're sorry for your home's circumstances" Stigandr tells them. They nod and mutter a thanks before silence envelopes the room.

Ayu breaks the silence. "Well... with all that in mind, I have a proposition". This garnered their attention. "How would you four like it if you stayed and help us end this war?"

The warriors all sit stunned just looking at her. Even Stigandr is looking at her as if she was mad.

Lin composes herself and asks, "Why?" she asks sternly.

"You four are neutral when it come to this war. You side with no one and have the great ability to move between each land unhindered, for the most part at least"

Stigandr catches on and joins in. "Oh! And from what we heard from the villagers and Astrid, you four are phenomenal warriors, with moves and weapons unknown to any of us"

Ayu nods. "And from what we have heard, you all are honorable people, risking your lives for the sake of other and without a reward in mind. There are very few who would do that around here"

"We will respect whatever decision you all make. So... what will it be?" Ayu adds.

Lin abruptly stands ups. She takes a breathe before she speaks. "I'm going to bed" and she leaves the room.

"Is that your answer as well for you all?" Ayu asks.

They sit in silence with Guan just sipping his tea, Wei eating, and Shidou contemplating.

"No" Shidou says. "Give us until tomorrow. For now... lets just eat". And eat they did with no other words being said.


	10. Ch 10

Astrid was laying down, shoeless in Satou and Aika's manor in one of their rooms. Stigandr wanted to talk to her about Asmund and the raiding party. Plus he offered to let her stay in the nice manor for the night.

She was currently thinking about the four warriors and what her leader and Ayu wanted to talk to them about. It was a common fact that Stigandr was joined with the dawn empire empress and the lead commander of the Iron Legion in the attempt to make peace between the factions. That knowledge did not suit well with the Warborn and other clans. Most saw Stigandr as a weak leader for what he was trying to do. Some were daring enough to challenge him to a combat trial to become the next jarl.

They all failed however. After some time Stigandr was able to make the people tolerate his actions and regained control over the Warborn one again although not completely. If it wasn't for the LEGENDARY raider by his side supporting his endeavors, conflict might have erupted within the Warborn again.

The sound of wood squeaking under pressure turned her attention to the rice paper door to her room. The doors were - by the name - made of paper and dark shaded figures can be seen through it but it seemed the perpetrator forgot that fact. The figure was that of a child and there was only one child that could possible live in the manor.

"Quit trying to be sneaky!" Astrid says out loud. The figure is startled and physically jumps. "Come in here" she orders.

The figure comes in the doorway presenting Yuki. She was shaking with nervousness and fear but stood there as Astrid stands and walks towards here. By the time she reaches her, she stands taller than her and looked down.

"What do you want kid?"

"Ummm...". Yuki struggles to speak, to find to words stuck in her throat but they don't come. Instead she retreats back to her hiding spot and presents a tray of food a pair of chopsticks.

Astrid then realizes she hasn't eaten once today and takes the tray from Yuki's small hands. She jumped slightly from the action.

"Thanks"

She sets the tray on the table provided for her. She sits down and starts to eat but notices Yuki still standing by the doorway just looking at her.

The berserker sighs. 'She's probably gonna bad mouth me' thought Astrid. She ate while waiting for mean words but they never came. Astrid looks at Yuki again who was twiddling her thumbs trying to speak. She did eventually found them.

"Umm... a-are you actually a Viking?" she asks in a trembled voice.

'What kind of stupid question is that?' she was about to say but decided to play it nice and patient with her.

"Yes. Yes I am" Astrid proudly said.

Yuki gains the courage to step in to the room and sit across from the berserker. She looks down on her lap though as she speaks.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did. Twice" she said. Yuki blushes, embarrassed. Astrid chuckles at her.

"I mean-umm... what kind of people are your people?" Yuki asks.

Astrid stops her laughing and looks at her questioningly. "Why do you want to know?"

Yuki sighs and then speaks. "Mommy... speaks VERY ill of your people and even the knights. She says that you all are heartless monsters who... kill and rape others even your own"

Astrid chokes a little on the tea she was sipping on because of the little girl's wording.

She pounded her chest, clearing her throat before answering. "Well...we do kill and some even do rape. Some even take slaves from the places they conquered or raided" she admits.

Yuki looks at Astrid fearfully before she looks down and almost saddens at the fact her mother was right before Astrid continued to speak.

"But..." Yuki then looks up at her.

"So does every other faction believe it or not"

Yuki looks at Astrid in disbelief. Them doing such horrendous thing to other people? She couldn't believe it!

"T-That can't be!" Yuki said in disbelief to Astrid.

"I'm not lying. Violence isn't a Viking thing, it a human thing. Cruelty isn't a Norsemen thing, it's a human thing". Yuki looks down contemplating her words while Astrid looks at her feeling bad for her. "You asked me what kind of people my people are yes?" Yuki nods but still looks down. "We are strong. We are the type of people who will look at a castle gate and ram it down even if we don't have a ram. We are relentless, fearless...". At this point Yuki was invested in the berserker's word. "Although we could stand to gain a bit more brains than muscles if you ask me"

Yuki giggles at the last part and Astrid smiles.

"What about the Japanese? What are they like?" she said surprising the little girl.

She takes a minute to think before answering. "Well... I think my people are strong like yours. We are also relentless and we never give up. We also appreciate beauty too and a lot of other things like art, cooking, martial arts, and so much more"

Astrid nods at her with a warm smile. Yuki apparently liked the gesture and smiled back.

The sole Viking in the room then notices the little girl's hair. It was black and very long, reaching her lower back. At that moment, she finds an opportunity.

"You hair is really long you know"

Yuki looks at her and strokes her hair. "I guess yeah"

"I used to have long hair too before I cut it but you know what I loved having done to it?"

Yuki looks on curious and urge her to go on. "I braided it"

"Braided? Do you know how to braid?" she asks.

"Of course! Look, I'll do for you here and now" Astrid said. She then stood up and sat behind Yuki. Yuki, unsure of what was going to happens, questions her.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. By the time I'm done, you will look even more pretty than you do now". Yuki smiles excitedly, the prospect of becoming prettier overriding her hesitation.

"Okay! Do it please!". Astrid chuckles and starts to braid.

**Some time later...**

Aika was searching for her daughter, Yuki. She had put her to bed but her motherly instincts told her to check on her. when she reached her room, her instincts were correct as Yuki was not there.

She first check the kitchen thinking she was with the cooks making her a late night snack. She was wrong but when she asked the cooks, they said Yuki requested of them to make a tray of food and when she got it she was off.

Aika was starting to grow concerned as she walked through the halls but stopped as she noticed the viking girl's door was open and laughter emitting from.

She peaks inside and sees Astrid kneeling behind something. Her arms and hands were moving around while she talked to this something.

"So I was hammering down a piece of metal right and then suddenly this man.." she laughs recalling the memory. "This man comes up to me and said 'I can hammer you all night if you like woman' but that wasn't the funny part. The funny part came when he leaned on the metal I was hammering. It was still hot from the furnace and when he leaned on it, his hand got burned!" Astrid then laughs a hearty laugh.

Yuki cringed at the story but laughed all the same. "That must have hurt!"

The sound of her daughter's voice kicked her to action as she then opened the door loudly, startling the two.

She approached the two. "Step away from my daughter you Viking whore!" she then took out a dagger from a concealed sheath and pressed it against her throat.

Astrid in anger at the woman, grabbing her upper arms to push her off. Yuki stood by stunned and unmoving. This wasn't her mother Yuki thought. Her mother kind and patient not this volatile woman.

Yuki knocked herself out of her stupor and when behind Aika's waist and grabbed her, trying to get her off Astrid.

"Mommy stop!" she cried. Her daughter's yell distracted her and she let go of Astrid.

After a certain amount of space was between the grown women, Yuki went in the middle and faced he mom.

"Mommy she wasn't hurting me! She was making my hair pretty! See?" she then pointed to her almost completed braided hair.

Aika looks at her hair and Astrid, alternating between the two. To say she was confused would be an understatement.

"You should not even be speaking to her! She's dangerous!" she told her daughter but her daughter wouldn't hear any of it.

"No she's not! She's really nice! It's YOU that's acting dangerous! You're acting more like a Viking than she is!".

Her words were like a fire arrow penetrating her heart. She stepped back stunned and fell down on her knees in reflection of her daughter's words. She couldn't understand why she would say such things. The Vikings and knights were cruel and monstrous but yet her own flesh and blood is siding with them and saying they are nice? Monsters can't be nice, right? Her anger was justified so why can't Yuki see that?

"Astrid, can you continue braiding my hair?"

Astrid smirks triumphantly at Aika before returning Yuki a kind smile. "Of course".

Yuki kneeled in front of her mother as Astrid sat behind Yuki and continued her work. Aika just stared at them. Yuki didn't even seem scared of the Viking behind her, as if they were long time friends.

Her voice was defeated and low but still hearable. "You'll get picked on you know"

"So? If I think I look pretty, that's all that matters" Yuki said confidently.

Aika gave a small smile. She admired her daughter's confidence. It was one of her strong suits. "They'll think of you as a Viking. They'll-... think of you as violent"

Yuki and Astrid smiled knowingly at each other before Yuki spoke again. "Mom, violence isn't a Viking thing, it a human thing. Cruelty isn't a Norsemen thing, it's a human thing".

Aika widen her eyes at her words. She... had to agree to that. The Vikings and knights did their share of bad deeds but the samurai were really not that different. They killed mercilessly and reaped the benefits of their conquests.

Aika said nothing but nodded. Astrid finished her work and brought a mirror to Yuki's face. Her face brightens greatly.

"Whoa!" she comments feeling the braids on her head. "You got to admit mommy, these look unique! I look tough!"

Aika chuckles at her daughter lovingly. "You sure do".

Suddenly, Astrid sits behind Aika starts touching her hair. The mother almost, automatically, stood back up but instead decided to continue sitting and question the berserker woman.

"W-What are you doing?"

"Braiding your hair stupid. It's long too like your daughters" Astrid said simply.

"Yeah! Then we can be matching mommy!" Yuki said enthusiastically.

Aika smiles at her and lets Astrid work on her hair. She worked in silence before Aika tried breaking it.

"L-Look I'm-"

"No, YOU look" Astrid interrupts her, shutting her up. Astrid sighs before speaking again. "You shouldn't hate us completely you know. But you don't need to love us either. Just got to respect us. See that not every Viking is a blood thirsty maniac. Am I clear?"

Aika looks down in thought, reflecting on everything she has seen in her years before coming to an answer.

"My... mother was taken from me as a child by Vikings. My father died fighting against the knights... It will be hard to forgive them for what happened... and I don't think I ever will..."

Astrid just nodded, understanding her pain but not fully empathizing with it though. "Forgive or not to forgive, it's your choice" she comments.

"Tell me something: are there more decent folk like you in Valkenheim?" Aika asks.

"You saying I'm decent now. I'm touched" she replied sarcastically.

"Just answer"

"Yeah, there are. Farmers, blacksmiths, soldiers, and all the like"

"...if that's so then... perhaps I can respect your people. And the knights as well"

Astrid smiles and they sit in comfortable silence until Astrid finishes braiding Aika's hair. The mother looks at herself in the mirror and had to admit, she looked nice.

"I have to say I'm surprised" Aika said. Astrid bats an eyebrow at her.

"Why?"

"With your haircut, I doubted that you had any skill in hair styling" Aika said smirking. Yuki giggles at the comment. Aika soon joins in

Astrid lets out smiles. "Always ready to please" she let out growling.

They laugh some more until their laughs were becoming too infectious and Astrid had to join in.

"What's happening here?" said a voice by the door. The three girls turn their heads to see Wei, Guan, and Shidou there. Out of the three, Shidou was the only one not smiling. No surprise there but this time, his stoice expression was mixed with... uncertainty. It was also in Guan and Wei's eyes but they hid it behind small but false smiles.

"We're just... bonding" Aika said simply making the other girls smile in return.

"Oh... that's good. We're happy for you three" Wei said. It was true too. To see them happy or at least tolerant in each other's company compared to earlier was refreshing and good.

Astrid saw their looks and went and questioned them. "Are you three alright?". She then notices they're short one member. "Where's the girl?"

"At our room" Guan answered.

"As for us, well all of us including Lin, well... we are just bothered by something" Wei then says.

"What is it?"

"... A choice" Shidou said simply before leaving. His comrades followed suit.


	11. Ch 11

As soon as she returned to the room, Lin took off her armor and shirt to reveal a white but slightly dirty tank top. She unbraided her hair and let it flow down her back. She then took off her shoes and put a blanket over her, trying her hardest to go to sleep. She even considered knocking herself out but threw away the idea.

She mostly wanted to sleep to forget the evening. How childish she acted when offered the proposition from Ayu and about the proposition itself.

The only thing that came to mind when she and her comrades were told the offer was that they were meant to be their fire arrow, their club, their sword, their weapon. She refused to be used again. To be hurt again like that.

The rice paper doors slide open and three pair of footsteps walk in.

"What did you say?" Lin asked simply.

Wei then talked but in a joking manner. "Well you know... we told jokes and stories and the funniest thing happened with Stigandr and a cup of noodles which we then learned was called soba. So he basically-"

He did not finish as Lin suddenly turns to him with a stern expression telling that she wasn't in the mood for jokes. He fumbles with his words.

"He...eh okay I'll stop"

Lin looks at him a bit longer before turning to Shidou. With him, she can get a straight answer. "What did you say?"

"That we will make our decision tomorrow" he said simply.

Lin sits up and runs a hand through her raven locks. "Okay... so are we all in agreement? We're going to say no"

There was silence and shuffling. Each of the men looked away from her, scratched their heads, or both.

"...You can be serious?" she said in disbelief. "You all are actually considering staying?"

"Well... we will be working toward peace and the idea sound marvelous" Wei said with hope.

"Yeah... too marvelous. Guan?" Lin then asks the jiang jun, hoping for a more logical ground answer.

"On one hand, I get to face potentially worthy foes but... this isn't really our fight. I'm on the fence on this but I'm going to say I am in the middle" Guan said honestly. Lin nodded, knowing his search for good fights.

"Shidou, you must agree with me... right?"

The tiandi doesn't even look at her but instead at his feet. His helmet was off letting his short black hair breathe. His arms were crossed and his eyes were clouded in thought. He didn't even register Lin addressing him until she walked up to him and tapped him on the arm.

"Shidou, what is your answer?"

Shidou regarded Lin in front of him but still kept his cool demeanor. He moved his neck around, cracking it and making Lin even more in want for his answer.

"...I'm staying"

Lin looked disappointed and surprised. "You know they don't even value us. They just value our skills. What we can do for them"

"And how do you know that?" Shidou calmly replied.

Lin just looks taken back before ignoring his question.

"Does it even matter?" Shidou said.

"Yes it does". She then turned quickly to Wei. "And peace?" she chuckled. "You DO know what happened to our land right?"

Wei simply nodded, already knowing what she was about to say.

"China was constantly at war. At itself. How on earth do you think you three can bring about that change hmm? On a land that have wared so long"

"...I don't know" Wei confessed. Inside, Wei knew the goal was larger than he and the rest of them could carry but that did not mean it was impossible. It just meant they had to try harder.

Before Lin could reply back, Wei spoke again. "But is it not an unworthy goal?"

Lin took a step back in slight surprise but steadied herself back to normal. She looks down, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"No... but look at us" she gestured to everyone present. "We're not peacemakers. We're soldiers and killers"

Shidou's hand clenched in a fist at the last word.

"I think we can" Wei replied optimistically. His optimism radiated the entire room, making everyone feel it for themselves.

That same optimism knocked something in all of them. Memories of brighter days and happier times.

Shidou looked down to his shoes.

_My brothers... I wish you were here_

Guan pulled a blanket over himself, smiling sadly.

_Yu Yan... I hope to see you soon_

Wei takes off his head band and stares at it.

_Brothers! Pray for me! Wherever you are..._

Lin retired back to bed, seeing faces she wished she could erase but can't.

_Would you go for this plan Ai?_

They all went to sleep with those memories rocking them to slumber until dreams of pain, betrayal, hate, and loss infected their heads.

**Some time later...**

When Lin awakes, she find the room empty with no one other than herself. Off to save empires she thought with sarcasm.

She had grown close with the boys in the short time they spent together. She was unsure of what they were. Friends? Travel mates? She was unsure as were the boys as well but she did know she respects them and seeing them mindlessly and naively walk into a war was disappointing.

What infuriated her more was that she was like that once. Trust easily and believe the future is gonna go your way.

It did not. She was left hurt and alone because of her blind, thoughtless trust.

Lin sat up and stretched. She looked to the window and saw daylight shine through, illuminating the dark room she sat in. She looks toward her gear and contemplates whether she should try and catch up with the boys or rest a little longer.

_They are good warriors_ Lin thought. They can handle themselves in their mission, even without her.

She lays back down and closes her eyes to return back to sleep. It was only for a few minutes but those minutes, it felt like hours.

**In Lin's mind...**

She is back someplace familiar. A large bedroom composing mostly of warm colors. A grand bed lays at one of the walls with drapes to shield its sleeper. Desks are at both sides with an expensive piece of pottery on them. An intricate and large rug can be seen in the center of the room depicting a large red dragon wielding a sword fighting against a smaller dragon of yellow with a short sword and a dagger. Painting cover the walls of the grand room as well as overly ornate and unused weapons.

Lin sits facing a window, the sun setting in the distance as the day turns into night. She sits on chair while she feels someone's hands roam through her hair, raking through her raven locks and straightening them out. She does not feel alarmed though. In fact, she feels so calm that she can sleep.

"Gosh Lin. Your hair is so long and beautiful. Why don't you let it out more or style it more?" asked the young woman behind her. She was about 20 with long straight black hair reaching her lower back. She wore a pink and red robe with a red sash around her waist. Her wrist adorned beautiful bracelets, her necklace made of the finest gems, and well crafted earrings on her ears.

She was the picture perfect image of a spoiled princess but that was far from the truth. Her character was as beautiful as her, humble, innocent, generous, optimistic, kind. It shined through every word she spoke and every movement she made. She was a true diamond in the rough.

"Because I am a warrior Ai. If I don't, it'll get in the way" Lin replies.

"If that's so, why don't you just cut it" the girl, Ai, countered.

Lin silences, not replying as the ones in her mind were not good enough to use back at the girl behind her.

"See? You obviously like it long and feminine. You should wear it down more than let it sit in a ponytail all day. Maybe you'll actually have some suitors coming for you" Ai teased

Lin chuckles. "Sure, whatever you say"

Ai smiles and continues to touch Lin's hair as both of them stare out at the sunset.

"You know..." Ai say, pulling Lin's attention. "things are going to get better for China. I know it"

Lin was and always will be realistic. Looking to the world with bright eyes will only leave you disappointed in the end.

"I don't know about that..." she said truthfully. "There's so much filth in the empire that it's hard for things to come clean. Try not to hope too hard, okay Ai?"

Ai simply smiles and nods at the Nuxia. "But if there are people who are willing to make a change out there, then there's still hope right?"

Ai continues. "Besides... who doesn't want peace? Peace is awesome! I'd fight for that any day!"

Lin wanted to make some sort of retort at the young girl but couldn't find the right set of words. Instead she smiles and looks back to the setting sun.

Suddenly, everything goes dark and she finds herself in a hallway running. She was wearing her armor and her weapons were stained with fresh blood. She was running towards a door at the end of the hallway and as she was running, all she could hear was her labored breath... and the cries of a girl.

**In the present...**

Lin wakes up with a jolt and sits immediately up. Her eyes were stinging from the tears and she immediately rubs them out of existence. Her hand goes her chest. Her heart was beating like crazy and her mind was churning. She is seething and in her anger, she punches the wooden floors until she heard the crack of bones. She'll have to look at that later.

She still cries though and she puts her face in her hands, her body shaking from her sobs.

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." she mutters lowly.

_"Peace is awesome! I'd fight for that any day!"_

She slows and her crying disappears. Her eyes red. She looks to her weapons and sigh before changing.

**Some time later...**

Guan, Wei, and Shidou sit near the gate of the village looking at Ayu, Stigandr, and their party get ready to leave. Ayu and Stigandr then get in argument about who will ride which horse which provided the three ample entertainment.

"We should say our goodbyes to Lin before we go" Wei said. "...It'll probably be the last time we see her"

Guan and Shidou nod in agreement and all three sit up to head to the manor. They stop to see Lin walking toward them with coin pouches in her hands. Then also noticed that her hair was down, a first for the boys.

When she finally came to them, she spoke before them. "You left your money in the room" and she handed them their pouch of steel coins.

Shidou lifts his up and down, noticing that it was lighter than before. He simply looks to the Nuxia which prompts her to speak again.

"I took some from each. Think of it as finder's fee"

Guan and Wei laugh lightly while Shidou still holds his neutral expression.

"So..." Wei says after his laughing fit. "... goodbye I guess?"

Expecting an affirmative yes, small talk, and a goodbye, they were surprised at what she said in response.

Lin chuckles lightly and say "You boys are good but this team..." she gestures to them "needs an assassin and a woman's touch. So..."

"You're coming? But what cha-" Guan said before he was interrupted.

"Reasons. My reasons. Now..." She looks behind them to see a displeased Stigandr hoping on a black horse while Ayu hops on a brown one with a triumphant smirk on her face.

"Don't we have a trip to make?"

They look behind them and back at Lin. Wei lets his happiness show as he then hugs Lin in a bear hug, even lifting her off her feet. While surprised and slightly uncomfortable, she returns it. She then feels hands on both her shoulders and finds Shidou and Guan as the culprits with smiles on their face.

She barely knew these boys. She doesn't know their demons but... for some reason... she wants to be there for them. For the first time in a long time, she feels as though she finally found something... people who she wants to protect.

It felt unrealistic to feel that way but... Lin did not care that much.

They move to their horses and saddle up.

The journey has finally begun.


	12. Ch 12

The journey had finally begun.

At a snail's pace.

Ayu, Stigandr, their party, and the four warriors were on their way to the Dawn Empire capital, Koto. The trip was long even with the fast pace of the running horses. They had a handful of breaks to give the horse time to rest before going again.

They currently were in a small town in a japanese inn, a ryokan with a communal bathhouse next to it. They were close to the capital but the group had decided to continue next morning. The four warriors were in their room, adjacent to Ayu's room and across Stigandr's room. It was late at night and everyone was enjoying this quiet time.

Wei walked out of the room at the same time as Stigandr who had his helmet off and a towel in his hands.

"Ah Wei. How are you enjoying the ryokan?"

"Nicely. Where are you off to?"

"The bathhouse. Never tried it before but I've been told it's really relaxing. Want to come along?" the jarl asked.

Wei thought about it before opening his room door, revealing the remaing three. "Guys, there's a bathhouse here. Wanna come?"

They all then smelled themselves and nearly knocked themselves out from their smells. They all nodded and stood up to follow Stigandr.

"Just so that all of you know, there's a hot spring here too. Lets hope its mixed gender" Stigandr said with a perverted smile. Guan, Wei, and Lin's faces morphed into those of shock while Shidou had one of mild surprise, having already experienced a mixed gender bathing before.

"If that's the case, I don't want to-" but before Lin could finish, Guan and Stigandr stop her.

"W-Wait there might not be mixed gender bathing!"

"Plus you smell like shit!". Stigandr then got slapped across the face for that. "Okay. I deserve that" he groaned.

Lin sighs, shaking her head before motioning Stigandr to lead them to the baths. They arrive in no time and enter. There were two sections: one for boys and the other for girls. Lin enter alone, as expected, and the boys enter their respective section and strip.

The boys enter the bathing room to find a large bath at the back, heated by the boiler behind the wall. In the middle of the room were rows of faucet with stools in front of them along with wooden buckets. Understanding the layout, the boys go and wash themselves of their filth. They were grateful for this simple thing. It had been a long time since they had a good bath and considering the battle the four warriors were in, they also smelled of blood.

"Stigandr, can I ask you something?" Wei said pouring a bucket of water over himself.

"What is it?"

"Where is Astrid?" the shaolin asked with concern. Every since the village, he hadn't seen the berserker. The thought worried him greatly. He promised nothing would hurt her.

Stigandr saw the concern on his face and gave a comforting smile. "She's fine kid. I just sent her back home, back to her father"

"Her father?"

"Yeah. Her old man, Earl, is one of the best blacksmiths in Valkenheim, hel, probably in all of Heathmoor "

"Heathmoor?" questioned Guan who was lounging in the large bath.

"Heathmoor. The name the three factions decided to name our land. The land that contains Ashfeld, Valkenheim, and the Myre" Stigandr explains.

"One of the reasons why we continue this war" he added.

"What do you mean?" Wei asks.

"For total dominion over Heathmoor" he said simply and all who heard nodded.

"What are the other reasons?" Shidou asks, speaking for the first time since entering the bathhouse.

"Ah I don't know... fear, hate, religion, dark sects, and all the other confusing reasons"

"Are they the ones we have to fight?"

"In a sense, yes, but just because you have to fight them doesn't mean you have to kill them off. Just..." and Stigandr thought for a moment before continuing. "...persuade them to stop?"

"And how do we do that?"

"You'll figure it out". He then stood up and went to the door next to the large bath. "Gentlemen, let us enter the hot springs". His eyes glittered something mischievous but that could of been their imagination.

They follow as Stigandr opens the door to the hot springs. It was fenced off from the outside by tall wooden walls. It was a large room, more than half of it being occupied by the pool of water. Speaking of the pool, it was shaped in a misshaped oval with steam coming off the surface of the water.

Stigandr frowns slightly in disappointment seeing no women but shrugs it off and jumps in. The others follow suit and walk in, jumping slightly before relaxing into the pool of warm water.

The warm waters washed away the soreness they didn't even know they had. It was times like these that made them appreciate the little things like clean, warm water, having been going through days without the simple blessing.

In their collective pondering, they did not see Stigandr notice a hole on a wall and walking towards said wall. They looked as soon as Stigandr made a loud gasp from what he saw on the other side.

They approach him, confused as to why he was excited until Stigandr moved to let them have a peak.

Wei was the first to look through the tiny hole to see two figure behind a see-through curtain of steam. Both were female but were different in many good ways. One was slightly taller with a curvaceous figure, and a large bust, her nipples erect from the sensual steam around her. Her skin glistened as she sat next to the other woman. She was smaller than the first but in no way less beautiful in her birthday suit. She was not as shapely but she was toned, athletic with ample breast to boot.

"Oh my... Lin has a better figure than I thought" Wei whispered, feeling as though he was going to have a nosebleed. He shook his head as he went back to the pool, checking his nose to make sure there was no blood.

"Same with Ayu. She's always wearing armor around me so I NEVER knew she was packing. It's actually more surprising than arousing" said the stunned jarl.

"Shidou, want to join in?" said a smiling Guan.

Shidou shook his head, crossing his arm together. He had no qualms to his comrades seeing naked women and while he was curious as well, he had seen women naked before.

Many women in fact. It was safe to say Shidou was experienced.

Guan shrugs and tries to push Stigandr aside to no avail. He then spots another hole over Stigandr and smiles as he uses that one to look at the girls.

On the girls side, things were silent between the two, having very little to talk about.

"So..." said Ayu trying to start a conversation. "One hell of a hot spring yeah?"

Lin smiled, seeing the empress trying. "Yes it is. My muscles feel more relaxed than it has in a long time".

Ayu would have taken the response but the look in the nuxia's eyes caught her attention. They were conflicted.

"Yet your eyes look far from relaxed"

"What?"

"You were against coming here in the first place. Are you having second thought?"

Lin was caught off guard. She didn't realize how obvious she was in her body language. "What? No I-"

"Because I completely understand. If you or any of your friends don't wish to come along anymore, neither me or Stigandr will stop you. We know we were selfish to ask you all of such an arduous task-"

"Listen!" Lin yelled out suddenly, making the empress jump.

Lin breathes in and out. "I just... want to know that if push comes to shove, you, Stigandr, and this knight won't send us to the wolves. That you will NEVER betray us". Lin's voice cracked in the last sentence, telling Ayu that she had experienced the pain of betrayal.

The empress takes the Nuxia's hands into her own and squeezes them gently. Lin looks at her to see eyes filled with concern and warmth.

"I cannot promise that everything will work out. At least one of will fall. It is a war after all"

She continues. "But I can promise I won't leave any of my friend, family, or allies behind. And I can confidently speak for Stigandr and Holden and say they feel the same too"

Lin gives off a smile but it is a small one. "Thanks. And I promise you this that me and my... comrades will do everything e can to help"

A slight creaking noise pulls Ayu and Lin's attention. "What is that-"

The creaking increase until the wooden wall Stigandr and Guan were leaning on collapsed, landing them both inside the women's hot spring. Ayu and Lin stare at the fallen old men and vice versa, the later also staring at their exposed bodies and after a pregnant silence, Guan speaks up.

"We can expla-" but he did not go far as Ayu and Lin karate chop at his head, knocking the old general unconscious.

Stigandr lays in horror as he sees Guan so mercilessly taken out but before he could move, Ayu and Lin did the same thing to him, chopping his head with their skilled hands and knocking him out.

The two women stand enraged. How dare they look upon them in such a lecherous way?!

They look to see Shidou and Wei looking at them. Shidou looking a bit uncharacteristically scared while Wei was paling at the approaching naked women. The sight of them was too much and fainted.

Shidou looks at the shaolin in worry. "Wei? Wei?!" he said grabbing the man's shoulders and shaking them.

"Shidou..." said a pair of low female voices. He slowly looks up to see Ayu and Lin starring him down, holding towels over their fronts.

"Did you look too? And be honest"

Shidou gulps slightly. "No, I did not"

He thought he was going to be left alone after that but that was not the case. "Then why didn't you stop them?" growled Ayu.

"Because... I had no reason to?" and he was chopped at the head by both women, laying unconscious next to Wei.

Ayu pinches the bridge of her nose, irritated. "Men..."

"Yeah... men"

They stand over the destruction in silence until Ayu points out some thing.

"You know... we have to drag them back to the rooms ourselves now right?"

"...Fuck"

"We also need to dress them too"

"FUCK!" yelled out a blushing Lin.

The night was then filled with two women reluctantly helping their male friends out.


	13. Ch 13

"We said we're sorry-"

"Quiet!" yelled Ayu, blushing.

After the girls dressed and returned them back to the rooms, the girls slept in Ayu's room, Lin not wanting to sleep with them for the night. After a long rest, it was time for them all to head to Koto. All the boys with the exception of Shidou were trying to apologize but the girls were having none of it, still angry at the boys perverted action.

Lin sigh "How much longer until we get to Koto?"

"Just a little bit more, I assure you all" Ayu assured them.

She was correct however because in just an hour, they neared the grand city of Koto. Between them and the capital, was a bridge, equipped with the latest defenses and many personnel. A guard on a nearby tower stops them as they near.

"Halt! Who goes there?" He yells out before realizing the empress was among . "Oh! Empress Ayu, please excuse my poor eyes-"

"It is alright soldier! Just open up the gate!"

He nods and does as he's told. The draw bridge opens, bridging the gap in between the group and Koto. They enter as eyes stare at them from all directions, scrutinizing everything about the four warriors while also looking at the viking in disgust, sending glares and nasty thoughts their way.

They cross the bridge until they come across another door. It opens up for them, allowing them entrance into the city.

It was grand, with buildings similar to the village but bigger and everywhere the eye can see. They pass many of its citizen who stare them them just like how the guard did, with awe and curiosity. They also stared at the Vikings just like how the guards did, with nothing but spite.

They continue to the palace until an apple hit Stigandr in the head.

One of his guards, a large, muscular man looks out at the crowd of people in anger. "Who did that?! Step out coward!-"

"Bo! Leave it be!" Stigandr commands the man.

"You can't be serious?! They just disrespected you!"

"And we're visiting a foreign region so I suggest you keep it in. I don't even care" the jarl says, having already experienced this same situation multiple times.

Bo grumbles as he reluctantly follows his leaders commands.

Shidou moves in next to Ayu on his horse. "Does that happen often?"

She nods. "It happens to both knight and vikings. Even to merchant and visitors from their lands"

"You have merchant and normal citizens visit other lands?"

"Yes. We implemented it a few months before you four arrived and it has been met with mixed results"

"Such as?"

Ayu sighs, recalling all the negatives the change came with. "Them being driven off. Beaten. In worst cases, killed. Bandit activity has also increased"

Wei moves in at Ayu's other side. "What about the positives?" he asks.

"Well, we started trade with each other but it's very small at the moment. Not many people are willing to buy produce or product from their enemy's land" the empress explains. "Stigandr. You okay?" she calls out to her colleague.

"Yeah, yeah" he said, waving his hand at her. "At least it isn't Ashfeld level"

"Is Ashfeld worst?"

Stigandr nods. "Yep. This is pretty tame in comparison to the knight's homeland. They'll be on you like a dog on meat if you even LOOK different than them"

"Intolerant aren't they?" Lin says.

Ayu sighs. "Sadly yes. Not only do they see us as enemies, but they also see us as defying their gods, dubbing us pagans"

"That's why we rarely have meeting in Ashfeld. It's too risky" Stigandr adds.

"Then how are we going to help in Ashfeld?" Guan asks.

"Well, considering you aren't viking nor samurai, they won't view you as enemies but will still won't warm up you instantly because of the culture difference. Also I suggest holding religious talk to yourself and don't argue about their gods"

They nod and continue on their way to the palace, passing multiple shops and many people who looked at them.

They make it to the imperial palace. It was a grand building, standing taller than any other they have seen. It was guarded by a wall that surrounded the palace and large main gate.

The guards at their post immediately recognize their ruler and open said gate, leading into a courtyard. They all part from their horses and go on foot, going further in the large fortress. They pass an archway, leading into a beautiful garden, floral of all kind with every possible color nature could offer in it. It was truly a sight to behold.

They enter the main building and are greeted by a short man. He was old, about in his fifties, with a head beginning to bald.

"My empress" he said, bowing before Ayu. He rises back up and takes in the sight of more people, of the vikings and four warriors. "Ah, you brought more visitors. The knight is currently waiting for you in the conference hall. May I bring a kettle of tea?"

"Yes, that would be very appreciated" and he went off.

"Come" Ayu directed. Stigandr and the four warriors follow while Stigandr's party is directed to their rooms.

"So what do we got to know about this knight?" Guan asks.

"For starters, his name is Holden Cross. He's a high skilled warrior, with very few brave enough to challenge him" Ayu states to them.

"He was also part of Apollyon's legion as her second command" Stigandr adds.

"Wait, then how can we trust him if he help start this war?" Lin questions. She doesn't want her or her team to be mislead into doing things because they helped a potential warmonger.

"We also questioned him on that when he suggested we should work to peace but he has proven to be trustworthy. He's trying to redeem himself for all the wrong he did. It's admirable" Ayu says.

They come up to the door leading to the conference room. Ayu pushes them open revealing a large room with a table in the middle with no chairs but mats on the floor. On one of those mats was the knight, Holden Cross.

He was clad in full iron armor with chain mail underneath the plates. His shoulder guards were iron lions. His helmet was off, revealing a shaved head and shaved beard. His eyes were that of a man hardened by war and dark sins but yet a strong, commanding general.

He stands as he see his two collaborators at the door but stops seeing the four warriors behind them. He sends them a scrutinizing gaze.

"Who are they?" he asks, distrusting of the new additions.

"Damn, not even going to ask how we are?" Stigandr replies sarcastically.

He shakes his head and send Ayu and Stigandr an apologetic gaze. "I am sorry. Were you two able to stop the raids?" he asks them.

"Not really. We didn't stop them" Ayu then points towards the four. "It was them. I think that should answer your first question"

He nods and makes his way to the warriors and shakes their hands. "Apologizes. It's rare we bring outsiders into our meetings is all"

Wei smiles and pats the man's back, telling the armored commander not to worry.

"So you all stopped Asmund's raiding party?"

"That we did but we did have have help from a local village" Guan informs Holden. The man nods and turns back to Ayu and Stigandr.

"That still begs the question of why they're here" he tells the two.

"Perhaps you all can talk about it over tea?" the short man from earlier interrupts.

Later...

"I see..." Holden says, digesting all that he's been told of who the warriors were. "And you two really think they can help?" he questions the two rulers.

"At this point, we need all the help we need" Ayu states. "With how the war is going, it's either one side wins or we all drive each other into the ground" she says gravely.

"I agree with that" Stigandr adds. "Besides... what are gonna lose letting them join in?"

"You're seriously asking that?" Holden sighs, annoyed. "Our lands are at stake, OUR PEOPLE are at stake. Every decision we make has to be thought-out or there will be consequences"

The four warriors sit by, watching the three rulers/ commanders talk about them as if they weren't in the room.

"If it's worth anything," Wei says, interrupting the three. "I promise you three we will work to our best abilities to bring peace" he simply states.

"We will work through whatever problems we face so that your lands and people become stronger" Guan then says.

"We'll make sure those who oppose peace will be dealt with" Lin states.

"...Just point us in the direction of the fight" Shidou simply says.

Ayu looks over the four. She senses their determination and bravery. It reminded her of countless soldiers she fought by with, filled of the same emotions as the four, only to face their end before living the rest of their lives. She sighs. "We are still giving you all a chance. You don't have to fight this war. You shouldn't feel the need to come into our war"

Stigandr and Holden nod in agreement, sharing Ayu's view.

The four take a few seconds to think it over. What Ayu said was true: they can still walk away. They don't need to fight. They all can just leave, leaving this war-torn land to its fate.

Yet they all looked deep inside themselves and found that it went against what they believed in and/or what they wanted.

They all had their reasons to fight and so they all wanted to stay.

Shidou shared glances from his teammates, already knowing what was in their heads. "No. We're staying"

The three leader nod in acknowledgement. Holden then chuckles. "Our war is so bad, we need a third party stepping in. That's pretty embarrassing if you think about it" he said, making the other leader chuckle as well.

The knight then turns his attention to the four warriors. He then stops, realizing that calling them "the four warriors" was getting repetitive.

"If you all are really staying, then your team needs a name" he says.

"The four dragons of the east!" Wei immediately says out loud, standing up and striking a pose.

They stay in silence for a few seconds before Lin dismissed the idea with a flat"No", causing the monk to shrink back in his seat, sad.

"The martial artist?" Guan suggest.

"That lame!" Wei says.

"The blades?" Lin then suggest.

"Not all of us use a blade Lin" Shidou states, indicating to Wei.

As the four were suggesting name after name, the three leaders look in amusement at them.

"How about... the Wu Lin?" Shidou says.

They all stop, pondering the idea. It came from their home, indicating towards their roots and sounded ear-appealing too. They all nod in agreement.

"We are the Wu Lin"


	14. Ch 14

"The Wu Lin... I don't know your language but it fits" Holden comments.

"Regardless of what their name is, now we need to find something they can do" Ayu stated.

"Easier said than done. Do you know how much shit we have to deal with?" Stigander then said.

The three leader took a moment to think while the Wu Lin sit by in silence. They wanted to help in whatever way they can so they let the leaders decide what their first task was to be.

"Hold it" Holden suddenly asks. Stigander and Ayu shut their mouths in favor of hearing Holden's idea. "How about we first establish a home for them?". He then turns to the warriors, the Wu Lin. "I would imagine you all have no property here yet?".

"To be honest... we didn't think we be staying her long enough to need a home" Lin confessed. The boys all nod in agreement.

"Now that you are now, I suggest you all look for a place of residence. There is many beautiful manors in Ashfled that are empty as of now. I can find one large enough to house all of you" Holden says surprising the warriors and shocking Ayu and Stigandr. They weren't concerned about Holden hogging them for Ashfeld alone. They all agreed to help each other as did the warriors. They were merely shocked that he is suggesting they live in Ashfeld.

"Whoa, Whoa Holden. Are you sure about that? They can stay here or even Valkenheim at that matter. Besides, you should know better than any of us that Ashfeld is not the most welcoming of places, especially for foreigners" Ayu aks.

The lawbringer sighs solemnly, knowing about his homeland's intolerance toward others. "I'm aware. But the danger in Ashfeld are too immediate to ignore"

"Question," Wei interrupts. "We would like to know about this 'danger' as well"

"Of course. To explain, I will need to give you a little background. You see, the knights of Ashfeld are all apart of one legion or group. The most powerful and dominant of them all is my legion: The Iron Legion. There are other legions however but they pale in comparison to the Iron Legion. However..."

Shidou looks at him invested. "'However'?".

"A new legion emerged," Ayu interjects. "a legion that goes by the name of the Bloody Rose Legion".

"Why are they called that?"

"Because, and I quote, 'From my enemy's blood will grow a rose'" Stigander says.

"Since their emergence, they have become the second largest legion in Ashfeld and they believe in only one thing" Holden says sternly. "In genocide of the those they consider pagans" he then said, shocking the warriors that a group would want or even hope to accomplish such a thing.

"They want to win the faction war but they don't just want to defeat the other sides... they want to massacre the norsemen and japanese, and erase our cultures from existence"

"Then that settles it," Shidou says standing up. "What do we do then? Kill their leader? If so, where are they?"

"Now just hold on there for just a second Shidou. We can't just make a full assault on Bloody Rose" the knight lightly scolds.

"But if they are really a threat then why aren't we making some sort of plan?" Guan questions the leaders.

"Because their power and popularity rival, if not, topples the Iron Legion. Not to mention, their leader is one hell of a woman" Stigander spells out for the four Wu Lin.

"Aaaaah! She can't be _that_ bad!" Wei says aloud.

"Trust me... she is bad" Holden says trying to make the monk see the threat as it should.

"Stop beating around the bush. Who is she?" Shidou demands of the leaders. Holden clears his throat before speaking.

"For starters, her name is Elizabeth Saint. She is an assassin in my land we call peacekeepers. They are a sort of underground police force and intelligence organization. She used to be Apollyon's top agents, second only to another peacekeeper I know but still a highly skilled one. Ruthless, calculated, and always gets the job done. After Apollyon fell with most of the Blackstone, she went into hiding before she emerged as the leader of the Bloody Rose"

Stigandr interjects. "I think you forgot 'hard-to-find' in that list of descriptions. Damn woman's near untraceable" the old jarl grumbles.

"As should every assassin" Lin remarks on the side.

"I am confused" Guan then say. "her goals are a step away from impossible. You all have been fighting each other for seven to eight years correct? She cannot hope to achieve that which all your factions have been trying to do for years now".

"I am inclined to agree with you. Normally we write her and her whole legion as some dark sect. A dangerous but small threat to the peace we are hoping to achieve. However she and her lot have made themselves a more dangerous threat than we realize".

Ayu elaborates more. "They have interjected themselves into Dawn Empire and Warborn society, weakening them from the inside out, and by proxy, making them weaker to enemy attacks, namely from the knight. They have already taken _10_ major territories from my people"

"Same here," Stigander then says. "12 for my case though. The point being that she's dangerous"

"So she's our main enemy?" Lin asks for clarification.

"No exactly," Holden answers. "There are others of course; cults, bandits, corrupt politicians, growing warlords..." the lawbringer lists off.

"Wow," Stigandr suddenly blurts out. "You all got your work cut out for you huh?" he jested lightly.

Shidou simply nodded, a mutual answer throughout the group. "We're used to hardships. Those will just be other obstacles to overcome".

"What are we waiting for?! Lets save kingdoms everybody!" Wei loudly proclaims, taking confident strides to the door. He turns around when he noticed no one following.

"But... we just got here" Lin deadpanned.

"Plus, we're all hungry and tired. Lets make our way to Ashfeld in a few days alright? Give you all some time to sight see and train" Holden assures the monk. Wei shrinks in embarrassment and to the other occupants, chuckle before leaving for a nice dinner.

Elsewhere, in Ashfeld...

In an underground dungeon, far below...

A lone woman sat inside a study room reading a book. She was a young beauty, about 21, at a height of 5'2. Her figure was slender but toned, showing years of training and hardship. Her hair was colored light brown and tied into a braided ponytail. Her green eyes reflected a harden soul as she read line after line of novel she randomly picked up.

She was dressed in lightly padded armor, suiting that of an assassin. Her black leather boots reached her mid thigh. Her belts was buckled with pouches and satchels on the side for storage. Her torso armor looked like that of a light leather skirt colored black with a red rose on the standards. She had black leather arm and shoulder guards with a black, gold-spotted shirt underneath. The out fit also had a hood with golden floral designs and a hole in the back for her ponytail but she took it off in favor of relaxing.

"So Mr. Gormson, have you made your decision yet" the woman said aloud.

The man next to her was chained to a pole, looking like he went through hell himself. His shirt was discarded and on his chest were branding marks in the shape of horse shoes. He had cuts and bruises everywhere else and he panted like an exhausted dog.

"Fuck... you... bitch" he panted.

The woman sighs disappointingly before turning to a new page. "All I ask is that hand over ownership of one of your territories-"

"One?! You want all of it!"

"You should take this golden opportunity. It's just land. Is it really worth _that_ much to lose your life over?"

"My family has owned that land for generations," he growls. "I'd never give it to you! Try all you want but you'll never get it!"

Silence befalls the room, making the man shiver in nervousness. The woman turns another page. "So family is important hmm?"

He immediately understands she was implying. "My family is out of reach! You'll never harm them!"

She sighs again before calling out, "Henry! That's your cue!"

A large man enters the study but the man couldn't care less about him. What he did care about was the teenage girl he had his hands on. He shakes in disbelief, fear, and anger.

"Frigg!" he calls out. "Unhand her!"

"Daddy..." the girl cries. "W-What's going to happen to us"

"It okay sweetie. Everything will be alright-"

"Don't give her false hope" the hooded woman chastises. She lays her book gently on her lap before regarding the father and daughter. "Now... considering how stubborn you have acted in giving me some territories, I will make another deal; give us your land or your daughter will become my soldiers' _relief center_"

All the man could see was red. He forces himself onto his feet and charges the woman, the chain just long enough for him to close the distance and do _something_ to her. However, the woman anticipated this. As the distance closed, she swings the book at his face, knocking him to her feet. The daughter cries out in distress at her father.

"You and your kind are such animals. I give you a way out but you squander it. Trash. Al of you" she demeans him as he quivers at her feet like a defeated pup. "This was a wast of time. Henry, prepare battle plans immediately"

"Yes ma'am" he said. Just when he was about to leave, his leader call out one more thing.

"Oh... before you do that, have fun with her. Let the other boys join in if you want". The teenage girl freezes at the spot before adrenaline courses through her veins and causes her to thrash against her captor. She is stopped however when she was slapped across the face by the hooded woman so hard, she falls unconscious in the large man's arms. The both of them exit the room, leaving the chained man and the hooded woman alone again.

"You're a monster... you know that?" he said while still on the ground, all the strength out of his body.

"I do, yes," she acknowledges. "At least I am not some pagan scum like you or you lot. Or like those slanted-eyed demons of the east. I am a monster but _you_ started it" she says harshly.

The man gets up on his knees but before he could even raise his head, a crossbow bolt is shot into his head. He collapses to the ground, bleeding a red puddle in the woman's study.

She sighs, "I missed. I was going for the throat". She puts down her crossbow and exit the room, telling a nearby recruit to clean up the study. As she walks, she passes numerous doors before coming upon her own room and entering. She notices some freshly made tea by her desk and pours herself a cup before settling into a nearby chair.

'Today was productive' she thought as she took a sip, satisfied with the calming taste of the liquid. She goes over plans in her head and then she smiles wickedly. By the end of the year, all will change with the faction war. And she, Elizabeth Saint, will make it happen.


	15. Ch 15

"How much longer until we reach the capital?" inquired Shidou.

The Wu Lin and the three leader stayed for about five days at Ayu's palace. In that time, while the leaders talked politics, the four warriors trained and sparred with each other. They also spent a good deal of time exploring the Dawn Empire's capital city, familiarizing themselves with the land. They only got lost once when Wei tried to find someplace to eat.

Now they were on the road to Ashfeld. The leaders were wary; Ashfeld wasn't the friendliest when it came to people of differing cultures. Even Holden was troubled by the idea to an extent, even though he proposed that they come with him in the first place. The warriors just assured them that all will be well and that whatever trouble they will face, they will be fine.

"Shouldn't be too long until we reach a guard post. Since the war started, we made multiple highly reinforced stations to protect the capital city" Holden explained. Another thought then came to his mind. "We should probably take the back roads. Less people will see us"

"No" Wei denied.

"What?"

"We will not hide from the people. We cannot hope to help the people if we show that we are terrified of them. We cannot gain their trust and build their tolerance if we just hide" Wei stated.

Holden understood what the monk was saying but it was too risky. "Look, I get it. But my people aren't as accepting as me. They'll probably mob you four. At the very least, they will say some very unsavory things about you all"

"Holden, we faced death multiple times on the battlefield. Citizen throwing words at us is incomparable to arrows coming at our heads" Shidou deadpanned.

"Besides, even if they were to try anything, we can handle them without even without our weapons" stated Lin.

"Don't act so cocky young lady" chastised Guan.

"What? It's true though"

"Individually, yes. Most likely we can handle a normal citizen but they will have numbers while there is only four of us" Guan stated logically.

Holden sighs. "_Maybe_ with me there, the reception won't be as bad"

"See? There's nothing to worry about you two" Wei cheerfully said.

They continued on until they reached a stone guard post with a few stone houses. They stand in attention when they see their commander approach but glare behind their helmets when they see four unknown warriors accompanying him.

A young scout near a camp fire grits his teeth and clenches his fist. Holden and the four warriors stop to verify themselves, the young scout picks up a rocks and hurls it at Wei's bald, unprotected head. To his surprise, Wei catches it without looking. He inspects the rock before looking at its thrower. "Nearly had me there huh?" he chuckled.

The young scout pulls his sword in anger and point it at Wei. "Don't speak lightly to me pagan!" he screams. A few knights grab him and hold him back against his protest.

His commanding officer, who was verifying Holden and the group, looked to his superior in panic. "I-I am so sorry my lord! We had a skirmish with a band of samurai a few days ago and we lost a couple men. This stings appears to have not faded one bit" he explains.

Holden sighs. "Take necessary disciplinary action," he commanded. "Come on. The capital shouldn't be too far now" he told the Wu Lin. They nod and continue to make their way. A few minutes after, Holden speaks about what happened. "Now do you see why we have to play it safe?"

Wei sighs as he also recalls what happened. "He harbors resentment. He lost his brothers-in-arms just a few days ago. His anger is not misplaced"

"It isn't just a difference in culture that'll rub my people the wrong way. There is very few who have not suffered to some extent from the Vikings and Samurai. Once they'll see any of you, those emotions will burst and they'll want to exact revenge" Holden said.

"But we aren't Vikings or Samurai" Lin states.

"That won't matter jack shit to them. In their eyes, you're one of them and you aren't one of us"

Shidou gives the lawbringer a determined stare along with the rest of his comrades. "We won't back down from them" he simply stated.

Holden sighs heavily and they continue on their path.

Time goes by and on the horizon, they see it. The Capital City of Ashfeld. A supremely large kingdom comprised of large stone houses and buildings along with fancy mansions. The largest structure the group could see was the royal palace, the place where the royal family resides. They loos left and although they could barely see, it was just a small dot, was the headquarters of the Iron Legion.

"Wow" Guan and Wei both said.

"So we need to protect this?" Lin says while still looking at the scenery.

"Yes but your duty is far greater than even Ashfeld. It's to fight for all three kingdoms" Holden states. They nod and they make their way to the city.

They arrive on the outskirts in a small village sort of place. Immediately the people look. They see Holden, his armor shining and his green, yellow, and black standard gently moving as the horse trotted but then they see the strangers in strange armor and differing appearances. They all tense up. Some glare. Some snarl like angry beast.

The Wu Lin noticed how much quieter it became after they entered. "I bathed right? I'm not smelling?" Wei whispers.

"I don't think it's your smell that's garnering their attention" Lin deadpanned.

They hear the people mutter to themselves about them.

"Pagan filth"

"Are they Samurai?"

"I don't know"

"Their eyes are slanted so I guess they are"

Half of them dared not to engage. They saw how they were accompanying the lawbringer and begrudgingly let them pass. That did not mean they were exempt from their judgement. Then there were those brave few who tried something. People pushed the horses they were on, they spat at them, hurled insults, and even threw stuff at them.

A flying apple came straight to Shidou's head. He had to admit, he shamefully let his guard down and he payed the price with an apple hitting his noggin. He grunts from the impact and he looks in the direction of the thrower to see another apple coming at him. He was prepared however and caught the fruit with his hand.

Guan saw this and glared at the man responsible. "That was a very rude and irresponsible thing to do young man. Don't you know how precious that apple was?" he chastised. The only response he got was a growl and an apple thrown at him. The old man frowns as he catches the fruit.

Lin groans as she sees the treatment they are receiving. She was aware that this was going to be the response but she had hoped there would have been more civility than this. Apparently, she was wrong.

Holden was trying his damnedest in trying to calm the people but it mattered little as they ignored him. He makes his horse walk faster and indicating to the others to do so as well. They roughly pass the crowd as they made their way to their destination.

From the shadows, a cloaked man eyes the group for a moment longer until he walks away.

Later...

After another hour of horse-riding through the tumultuous streets of Ashfeld, the group finally make it to their destination. It was a gated community and, from what Holden said, "the best place to stay" for the Wu Lin. The group questioned this but after seeing how reactive the crowd was, a more secure place or residence was needed.

"Welcome to Eden, 'The best neighborhood in Ashfeld' as most would say"

"Hold on," Lin suddenly said. "What makes you think our neighbors won't cause us any trouble as well?"

"The people that like here are mostly nobles. Half of them may really dislike you being here but unlike the common folk, most nobles aren't as upfront about their displeasure" Holden explained.

They all understood what the lawbringer was saying. Nobles loved their gossip and would rather spit venom than throw hands.

The guards open the gate and the group travel inside. They dismount their steeds in front of one of the smaller manors. Even though it was small, it was bigger than any of the common houses the Wu Lin have seen in Ashfeld. They didn't complain about the size. They were just happy to have any sort of property.

"Welcome to your Ashfeld home" Holden welcomed.

"It looks beautiful" commented Wei. For most of his life, he had lived in a monastery, which was beautiful in its own right, but this house he was seeing was something else.

Shidou and Lin just shrug. Even Guan did not seem to be fazed by the grandiose manor. Holden gave Shidou the key and the group went to enter the house.

Only, they were stopped before Shidou could unlock the door. A tall, muscular man, about 6'7, almost as tall as Holden, called out to the group, stopping them. He wore a royal blue, long-tailed coat over a white dress shirt, with black pants, and black boots. His skin was white with a slight tan. His eyes were green as he stared at his new neighbors with curiosity in his eyes. His brown hair was slicked back and wore a confident, almost obnoxious, smirk.

"Good day to you Sir Holden Cross! I do hope your day has been marvelous" he said.

"It's been peachy Thomas" Holden deadpanned.

A soft "Ahem" from Guan brought Holden's attention. "Holden, would you mind introducing us to..."

"Oh, this is-"

"Allow me!" the man said, stopping Holden by putting a hand on his armored chest. "I, my exotic compatriots, am Thomas Acosta!". He then bowed. "At your service". He then looks directly at Lin and gasps happily. "Oh, my dear. You are simply beautiful, you must let me capture your elegance!"

Lin only stood there, a bit embarrassed, and blushed. "Ummmm... What?"

Holden sighs, "He's a painter. He likes painting portraits"

"'Painter'? Holden Cross, you wound me. I am much more than a 'painter'. I am an artist! I dabble in almost everything; music, sculpting, and yes, painting"

Wei laughed as he was getting the picture. "S-So... you want to Lin to be your muse?"

"Exactly! Her elegant body is like that of a dancer, yet holds strength like that of a warrior. It would be an injustice to not let the world know of such beauty!" Thomas proclaimed.

"U-Ummm...". On one hand, she was flattered. She never considered herself beautiful. At most, average. However, on the other, she was embarrassed and just wanted to head inside and sleep for the rest of the day.

Thomas continued. "She is so prefect, I want to capture _all_ of her beauty, curves and all!"

"Wait...," Shidou said as he was trying to grasp the meaning of what he just said. "Does that mean you want to paint Lin-"

"-nude?" Wei laughed.

"Exactly! Women hold superiority over men in terms of physical beauty and grace. My lady Lin, you must come with me right now. I have many ideas I must-" but before he could come any closer to Lin, he was slapped. The blow sends him to the ground, slightly writhing in pain.

"Do not touch me! And if you every bring up that idea again, it'll be a fist I will inflict, got it?" she threatened as her blush deepened. She takes the keys from Shidou and heads inside. She was flattered before but now, she just embarrassed and agitated.

Wei and Guan were laughing like it was the end of the world while Shidou stared down at Thomas, unamused. Holden pinches the bridge of his nose and shakes his head disappointingly.

Thomas, however, didn't seem bothered by the slap. He was actually admiring Lin even more. "She even has a fiery character. Oh, my lovely Lin! I await the day we work together!"

"Son!"

Thomas snaps his head in the direction of the voice, and there he sees his father, Alexander Acosta. The man was as tall as Thomas, with the same colored eyes but with short, grey hair and a short grey beard. In contrast to his son, he wore an orange coat that was closed up with brown pants and black shoes.

He spots three of his new neighbors and smiles gently. "Ah, you must be the Wu Lin. Holden mentioned in a letter you all were moving in his old home. My name is Alexander Acosta. I look forward to getting to know you all". He then notices that there was only three of them. From what he can recall, Holden wrote that there would be four warrior taking shelter. "Where is the other warrior?".

Guan chuckles, "Your son here scared her into the house with his 'painting her nude' talk"

Alexander frowns and looked down on his son. "Again?". He sighs. "At this rate, I worry if I am ever going to see any grandchildren from you if you keep scaring away every female"

"Father, an artist must be devoted to his craft. Finding a wife isn't a priority for me. And besides, you should have seen her. She is one of the most flawless beings I have ever encountered!" argued Thomas.

"Yeah, yeah. Just c'mon. Your sword-fighting instructor is waiting in the backward"

Thomas simply nods and waves the warriors goodbye as he returns to the Acosta manor. "You must excuse my son. He gets his theatrics from his mother" Alexander nervously chuckles.

"We'll be sure to tell Lin that. I'm way Wei by the way" said the monk. He then points to his companions. "That's Shidou and that's Guan". The latter nod at Alexander.

Alexander shakes all their hands before he departs. "I deeply apologize, but I am afraid I must cut our introduction a bit short. I am pressed for time and must complete some remaining paperwork. I will see you all later"

"That was a nice man" Guan nicely commented. "His son on the other hand..."

Holden sighs again. "Thomas is a nice kid, trust me. It's just that he can be a bit... much at times"

"Dully noted" The Wu Lin males all said.

They all file into the manor and were decently surprised at the already furnished interior. It was stacked with a kitchen, a study, a large basement, four master-size bedrooms with bathrooms in each, and a living. Outside, there was a patio leading to a large backward with a lone shed at the back corner.

"Lin?" Shidou called out

"In the bedroom upstairs, at the end of the hallway." Lin called back.

Wei traced the source of her voice and peeks inside her room. Her boots were by the foot of the bed as Lin laid underneath the covers. "I don't like this place" she said.

Wei was trying to hold onto his laughter but failed miserably. Lin shoots up from her bed and glares swords at the monk, her blush still on her face.

"What?" Wei laughed as he puts his hands up. "I just find it funny that the calm and steady Lin would get flustered from _this_"

"Well, you clearly haven't had someone basically say they want to paint you while you're buck naked!"

Meanwhile, Guan and Shidou were conversing with Holden about what they're next move would be. "The Bloody Rose will no doubt already know of our arrival, what with our welcoming party" stated Shidou.

"Elizabeth and her legion are playing at Ashfeld's fear and already-instilled prejudice. If we can somehow affect that, her power should diminish in turn" Guan said.

"That's easier said than done. Ashfeld has never accepted outsiders, even before the war" Holden said. "Plus, she's got her finger in almost every aspect of Ashfeld society. Even the King and Queen have even taken a liking towards her"

"The King and Queen too?" Shidou said.

Holden simply nods. "King Henry Caivano and Queen Elise Caivano. If you've got them in your corner, you can do almost anything"

"Surely the royal family realize how ambitious Saint's goals are" Guan suggested.

"Yeah, but with their ever-growing power, they're more inclined to lean towards Bloody Rose than Iron Legion. That, and..."

Shidou's interest in piqued when he saw the lawbringer hesitate. "What is it?"

"...There's also the fact their first son was assassinated a few years back by a samurai assassin" he states.

Guan nods. "So they hold a personal vendetta which fuel them and they believe siding with Bloody Rose will help them get closure"

"Precisely" Holden replied.

Shidou thought for a moment. Having Holden and by proxy, the Iron Legion's support on their side already gave them security to work in Ashfeld but if what Holden said was true, if combined with the royal family's support, then they can operate nearly unrestricted. Not that they were planning to abuse that power, it just meant they would have more breathing room and don't have to worry about being pushed around by the knights and, hopefully, shift public perception of outsiders. If the king and queen accepted other people of differing cultures, their people would, at least partly, follow.

"Is there any way we can have an audience with them?" Shidou questions.

Holden shakes his head. "At this moment, no, but they are holding a get together with the other nobility next week. Are you planning to speak with them?"

"Yes. Hopefully we can come to some sort of agreement"

"I hope so too" the lawbringer sighs. "Well, until the party, there are still things that need to be done"

"Like what?" Guan asked.

Before Holden could answer, shouting was heard upstairs, breaking the conversation.

"At least I didn't peak on two defenseless, naked girls!" Lin yelled.

Wei's voice was flustered and even without looking at him, you could tell he was blushing. "I did not and you know it!"

The three men laughed at Wei and Lin's misfortune.

Elsewhere...

The shadowy figure enters Elizabeth's office and was greeted with the sight of the woman writing and signing papers.

"Lady Saint," he bowed. "I come to bearing important news"

"What is it?" she said simply.

"I was in town this evening, picking groceries, when Holden Cross came into town with four mysterious warriors"

With her interest piqued, she stops her paperwork and gives the man her full attention. "Explain"

"They looked japanese but with their attire and weaponry, I believe that there newcomers come from somewhere far away" the man explained.

Elizaabeth scoffs. "Holden's getting desperate if he enlisting outside pagan help. However, this does raise some alarms".

In truth, she heard reports of a viking raiding party cutting through the Myre until they were suddenly stopped. From what, she did not know until this moment. It was not common knowledge but, using inside spies within the Iron Legion, she knew of Holden's meetings with the Dawn Empire's empress and the Warborn's jarl. Perhaps he meet the reason to the raiding party's end through Ayu and asked them to help stop her.

It was flattering that Holden Cross, the most respected lawbringer, feared her, Elizabeth thought. It meant she and legion were growing, and that they posed an actual threat to his nonsensical idea of peace.

Just the idea of uniting the three faction made the peacekeeper laugh. It was an optimistic goal, she will admit, but an impossible one as well. There was no way the faction could find any sort of middle ground and why should they? the viking were nothing but a bunch of beast in human clothing and the samurai were conniving demons. Why should Ashfeld and her people try to reason and degrade themselves with them?

"Leave them at the moment but leave a spy to keep tabs on them" She ordered. The man simply nodded and left. As much as she wanted to denounce Holden's new lap dogs, if they really were the ones responsible for stopping that raiding party, then they should be monitored.

She relaxed and chuckles, "How much damage can four people really make?"


	16. Ch 16

The roar of the crowd can be intoxicating and that was why Marcus fought. He fights for them, the people and only the people.

A man of dark brown skin in golden armor with a helmet akin to a lion's face went up against another man in simple gladiatorial armor with no helmet. On the top of the ebony man's head was a red sideways plum. His golden armor consisted of a chest-plate, a large leather belt with an embedded golden eagle, lower leg armor, a fully segmented armored right armor, and golden shoulder guards with a lion engraved on each. In his left hand was a small buckler shield while in his right was a trident. The latter man hesitates before bellowing a battle cry and engaging Marcus. Marcus audibly laughs at his opponent's hysterical state and merely dodges his wave of hasty attacks.

Born a slave, he rose through the ranks of the gladiator. Once a forced duty became a loving passion. What once brought him dread now brings him happiness. It was because of his bravado and skills that garnered him the attention he now had, becoming Ashfeld's most famous gladiator.

What more could he ask for? He had everything he ever wanted. Plump women, fine alcohol, terrific food, parties every night, and an endless stream of battles. He lived the life most men could only dream of. Truly, he was blessed by the gods themselves.

He smirks as he dodges another attack from his lowly opponent, a prisoner of war from the Myre. Marcus had to admit his efforts were admirable and he gave a valiant effort, but, alas, his fate was sealed the moment he came in the ring against him.

He slides under one of his attacks and impales the man in his exposed stomach with his trident, forcing him to scream in pain and fumbles to the ground. Upon seeing how outmatched he was compared to this lion in human clothing, he scrambles away, only for Marcus and the crowd to laugh and jeer at him even more.

"Is this man a lion or is he a mouse? Scream to me Ashfeld!" Marcus exclaims to the public.

The vote was unanimous as the crowd kept on chanting, "MOUSE! MOUSE! MOUSE!" over and over again to Marcus's glee. He casually walks to his escaping prey.

"P-Please spare me! I'm too young to die! Please!" he begged to no avail. Marcus takes off his helmet, revealing his face. Above his left eyebrow was a small scar while a large one went across from his chin to his left cheek. His hair was black but shaved and his eyes were black. He looks down his opponent, grinning from ear to ear.

"Stop your begging already. Don't you know? The crowd already chose" and he hurls his trident straight into his head.

The crowd screams jubilantly. Once again, their champion pulled off another brutal victory. Marcus laughs as he basks in the glory and praise of his adoring audience. They loved him and he loved them. He was with no equal. He was complete.

As he walks out the large stadium to his mansion, the banner on his waist waved gloriously and proudly.

A black banner with a blood red rose.

**Later, elsewhere...**

Guan sat cross-legged in the backyard of the manor, his weapon by his side and a hot kettle of tea and a couple cups in front of him. Dressed simply a white shirt, dark green pants, and brown shoes, he sips his brew, closing his eyes and enjoying the nice hot day. With his eyes still closed, he chuckles, "Nice try Wei. Better luck next time"

The monk attempted to sneak up on the old man, trying to surprise him when he wasn't looking, but it didn't end well as he hoped. Pouting, Wei takes a seat in front of Guan. "How did you even know I was there. I _know_ I was completely silent!"

"Let's just say experience played a role in it" Guan chuckled, not getting into the various times he was almost assassinated.

"I should've figured as much" Wei slumps before taking a sip of tea.

"Hey guys" Lin suddenly called. Her hair was down and messy and her attire was just as minimal as Guan's, indicating she just got out of bed.

"Why good morning Lin. Woke up a bit late I see" Guan comments.

Lin sighs heavily and sits near the patio stairs. "Yeah, well, I was... thinking... about stuff" she lightly blushed, fiddling with her headband.

"Oh?" Wei grins. "Was it about being a certain painter's muse?". As soon as he said that, Lin's face explodes in color and she throws her headband at Wei's exposed head, hitting him.

"Shut it!" she yelled embarrassed. She sits back down and groans, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

The old general's face wrinkles in concern. "That isn't whats mostly bothering you, is it?"

"...Kinda"

"Do want to talk about it?" Wei groans.

"No" she snapped.

Wei and Guan share a worried glance with one another but respect Lin's decision. Whatever was bothering her would come out when she wanted it to.

Meanwhile, inside the house, Shidou was looking over the small library provided. It amazed him that he and his people had no idea other cultures laid beyond their empire's lands and so, went to absorb as much as he can about Ashfeld, the Myre, and Valkenheim. He spent the morning reading up on their religions and religious practices. It was a good thing that those books were in the common tongue, English, otherwise he wouldn't have understood a single bit.

He slides another book out of the shelves only to widen his eyes at the cover. It depicted four boys hand in hand, smiling. His hand tightens around the leather cover and his eyes go grim.

Then came the flashes.

Brothers laughing.

Brothers playing.

Brothers learning.

Brothers... stained red.

Brothers... laying...dea-

Hard knocking at the door takes Shidou out of his head. He looks down the cover once again before quickly putting it back. He goes and opens the front door, only for his expression to drop once he saw who was at the door.

"Ah! Sir Shidou-!"

"Don't" Shidou interrupted. "Don't call me sir"

"What is your last name then?"

"There is no need for that. Just call me Shidou, Thomas" the tiandi insisted.

"As you wish. Is Lady Lin here?" Thomas asked. He had creative ideas he wanted to implement with her.

"Yes, but I highly doubt she will be interested in whatever you have planned" Shidou said dryly.

"Ah, but you won't know unless you try. At the very least I will get her answer on the matter" Thomas said before trying to squeeze pass Shidou but Shidou stops him.

"The only thing you will get is a punch to the face. Just trust me on this"

"Shidou, who's at... the... door..." Lin trailed off as her eyes set on Thomas's happily gleaming face.

"Lady Lin! You look so lovely, my heart cannot take it!" He pushed passed Shidou, ignoring his advice and advances on Lin. "May you do me the honor of being my model-" but then, he was punched on the right cheek before he could finish. He was sent to the ground, clutching his aching cheek.

"Told you" Shidou deadpanned. Guan and Wei converge near them.

"What did I say?! Did I not warn you what would happen if you brought that line of talk to me?!" an enraged Lin yells down at the downed noble.

"You didn't even hear what I was going to suggest!' Thomas argued.

"Did it involve nudity?"

"...Yes" he confessed.

Lin glared. "What the hell were you even planning?"

"Uhhh...". He darts his eyes around nervously. "Okay, it did involve _a little_ nudity in the form of just your shirt off but that was it! I swear!"

Lin rolls her eyes. At least he was honest, she could give him that. Before she could walk away from the noble, a large bodily growl erupts in the room.

All eyes turn to Wei. "What? I'm hungry okay"

"I know a perfect place!" Thomas shot up from the ground. "It's outside of Eden though. Please allow me to escort you all"

"That's very generous of you Thomas, but I'm sure we can get there ourselves with the right directions" Guan chuckled.

"I know how... rowdy my people can be. Plus, I have quite the name around town. With me in your company, it will, at the very least, keep the hostilities relatively low" Thomas reasoned.

"Aren't you concerned about your reputation taking a hit if you were seen with us?" Wei inquires.

Thomas scoffs. "Please. I would not still be an artist if I listened to _every_ single critique against my name or my work" he said. "Besides, I am a noble. It is my duty to serve my people, and whether you agree or not, you are all now part of my people"

The four warriors were impressed with Thomas. Though they have not spent a lot of time together, they could see he means well with heart of gold. He was eccentric, but it wasn't so bad. At least, for everyone excluding Lin.

"What if things do get violent?" Shidou suddenly questions.

Thomas smirks and flexes one of his arms, bulging his biceps and muscles. "This body isn't just for show". He then gasps and kneels in front of Lin. "Lady Lin, what if I get nude with you as well to alleviate any discomfort? Will you then be my muse?"

Lin's face explodes in red and she slaps the man. She walks away to change, blushing madly.

Thomas was a good man, only just a bit much at times.

**Later...**

The group went out on horseback and went to town with Thomas as their guide. Not one second after they entered the town did the people starting jeering at them and sending less than pleasant words their way.

"I deeply apologize, my fellows" Thomas sighed.

"It's fine. It kind of makes us curious as to why you and your father don't dislike us as well" Guan said.

"Why on earth would I?! Every human that is born on this earth is beautiful in their own right, no matter what their skin color or culture. It is absolutely hideous to say otherwise!" he states dramatically, garnering the Wu Lin to sweatdrop behind him. "But I digress. My father holds the same principle as well. He used to be a lawbringer before he retired. He had seen all three factions best and worst qualities. In the end, he concluded that everyone was different but that is perfectly fine. He sees everyone as equals no matter what their social standing or race they may be"

"He sounds like an admirable man" Guan comments.

"He is. And that is why I look up to him" he said fondly. "Oh! We're here". They all stop in front of a large tavern hall with a red sign on the front. The name of the establishment was _The Red Dragon_.

"Why _Red Dragon_?" Wei asks.

"Apparently, the family that owns this place, the Gallus family, proudly claims that their food can 'sate a dragon's appetite'" Thomas chuckles.

They push open the door and are greeted with a large room filled with tables and chairs with a bar at the back with doors at either side leading to the kitchen. There were stair leading to an open upstairs floor that was guarded with fencing.

A tall lanky man with black hair, mutton chops, and green eyes greets them. "Lord Acosta! It's so good to see you again! Have you been well?" he said as he hugged Thomas.

"I've been very well Gus! Please take us to my favorite seat"

"Oh," Gus whispered surprised. "They're with you? The newcomers?"

Thomas happily nods. "Yes they are Gus! I am taking them out for a bite" he states.

"Oh! S-Sure! Whatever you want" and he begins to lead them to their table.

Chatter around them started to quiet slightly as the occupants glared at the Wu Lin as if they were vermin infesting their safe haven. Gus lead them upstairs to a recently cleaned table. They sit and began to order their food with Thomas promising to pay for them all. Although the chatter was loud, Guan was still able to pick out snippets of conversations.

"Did you hear about Marcus's last matches?"

"Heard about? I was there to see it!"

"Marcus fought perfectly. He made that damn slanted-eye snake look like a flailing worm"

Guan widens his eyes at the mention of 'matches' and 'fighting'. "What are they talking about Thomas?" Guan asks.

"Oh, their talking about the gladiator Marcus" Gus answers him. "Just a few hours ago was his latest fights in the ring"

"Your people have gladiatorial fights?" Lin gaped.

Gus and Thomas nod. "Usually comprised of prisoners and slaves, they fight in the coliseum a mile and a half from here, whether against wild animals or each other" Gus explains. "The guy those men were talking about, Marcus, is Ashfeld's undefeated champion, the gladiator that rules all gladiators some would say. He's a skilled fighter with an ego to boot"

"That's just barbaric" Lin said incredulously.

"Kinda similar to the martial art tournaments held back at home" Shidou mutters. Guan smirks at the prospect of facing strong opponents.

"Perhaps we should take a trip there?" supplied the old man.

"Why?" Lin questioned.

"It would be interesting to see a match. Plus, we can learn an aspect of Ashfeldian culture" Guan tried to reason.

"I don't know," hesitated Wei. "I don't take pleasure in watching people kill each other for the enjoyment of a blood-thirsty crowd"

"What about you Shidou?" Guan asked the tiandi hopefully.

"I will admit, I am curious about these gladiator fights as well but they hold no significance to our mission. I am sorry Guan. Maybe next time"

"Did ya hear? Marcus was flying Bloody Rose colors"

That statement made the Wu Lin and Thomas snap their heads to the conversing men.

"Yeah. Never thought I'd see the day the gladiator king representing a legion in matches"

"You know, I thought that legion was full of hot air but If they got Marcus vouching for them, they might be Ashfeld's best shot"

"Well... that changes the circumstances" Shidou said. "If the Bloody Rose is using Marcus to boost their popularity, then we have to take out one of their footholds in Ashfeld"

"I don't think that's a good idea Shidou," Thomas warned. "If Marcus is killed or even severely injured, especially by foreigners, I highly doubt the people will lean towards your side" he said.

"I'm not saying we should kill him. I'm saying that we should should find a way to persuade this Marcus to the Iron Legion's side or at the very least, stop him from promoting Bloody Rose anymore than he already has". Shidou saw what the Bloody Rose were doing. They are basically using a beloved celebrity to bolster their popularity and rally them to their cause. A sound strategy, Shidou admitted. If the people saw that their champion was supporting a certain doctrine, they would follow and believe that the Bloody Rose's cause was right or at the very least justified. But that also meant it would work in their favor as well.

"I see where you are coming from," Guan then said. "But... how?"

"Through combat of course!" Thomas suddenly interjected.

"I thought you said we SHOULDN'T kill Marcus?" Lin pointed out.

"Yes but Marcus is still a fighter. He is known to listen and follow those he respects and/or people who have beaten him in combat"

"Can't we just talk to him?" Wei suggested, hoping to find a non-violent method.

Thomas scoffs. "Please. That man is so thick-headed, not even a ram can break him. You have better luck trying to beat him with swords than you are to sway him with words". Thomas paused for a second after he said that. "Now that I think about... did Elizabeth Saint beat him in a duel so that he can represent them?" he thought aloud.

"That doesn't matter right now. What _does_ matter is how we get Marcus to support us" Shidou said.

"I say we should at least try to talk to him. We should reserve violence as a last resort" Wei said.

"Thomas might have the right idea. If this man won't listen to reason, then we should talk to him in a language he absolutely cannot ignore". Lin turned to the old general and asked him his thoughts. "What do you say?"

Guan scratches his beard in thought. "If what Thomas says is true, that this Marcus is as stubborn as mule, then the most logical solution would be to duel him to our side". Guan was also a fighter. He loved testing himself and pushing his limits. It was one of the reasons he traveled west along with... other reasons. But he was nothing if not reasonable. As much as he wanted to face this Marcus in mortal combat, perhaps a relationship founded on violence wouldn't be such a great idea. "However, I say we should use Wei's suggestion first. If that fails, _then_ we face him in combat".

With that, the group agree on their game plan. Wei was ecstatic that they were finally going on their first mission. "Oh yes! Guys, we going on our first mission. This is great!-". Suddenly, a purple fruit collides on the side of his head. "Ow!". He across the balcony to see a group of laughing teenagers with a basket of assorted fruits at their side. "Why do people keep throwing fruits at us?" he muttered until he yelled at the teens. "Hey! Stop wasting food! Be grateful of your blessings and-!" but he did not finish as a rotten apple hit him on the forehead.

"Perhaps we should get a different seat?" Thomas chuckled.

**Later...**

After a satisfying meal, the Wu Lin and Thomas made their way to Marcus's residence. His mansion resided half a mile away from the fighting coliseum in a wealthy district of the city. The warriors and Thomas made their way into the city and were only a few minutes away from Marcus's home.

"How do you even know where he lives?" Lin asked Thomas.

"He holds parties after every one of his fights. Anyone is invited, especially nobles. I've actually had the privilege to paint a portrait of Marcus a few months ago"

"What was the portrait?" Wei asked.

"Him laying sideways on the ground with a few women... naked... _pampering_ him". Lin and Wei blush while Guan laughed at their red-faced expressions. Shidou did not even care. "He did pay handsomely though, which is always a plus"

"How much longer until we arrive at his home?" Shidou inquired.

"It should be-"

"There?". Guan pointed at an overzealous mansion with a crowd of people just near the front. The Wu Lin collectively sweatdrop.

"He does not hold back does he?" Shidou states.

"It actually looks fun... I wonder what the inside looks like" Wei chuckled.

"I don't even want to know" grimaced Lin.

They enter the building, only to stop in astonishment at what they saw. Once a fancy mansion now became a mix of a tavern and a brothel. There were people eating and drinking, playing music, and some daring folks were engaging in shameless, lewd behavior. There was a couple actually fucking like rabbits near the entrance. That alone told the Wu Lin a lot about Marcus.

"I need an adult" whimpered Wei.

"You are an adult. Quit your quivering" Shidou shot at him. "Alright everyone, I say we split up. If one of you find Marcus, try to bring him to that indoor bar area where we can regroup and talk to Marcus collectively at. Do you all understand?". While the group were mostly distracted by their environment, they all understood and nodded.

"How can act so normal about this Shidou?! There are literally people copulating in public!" Wei then exclaimed.

"...Let's just say I've been in this type of place before". And with that, everyone split off to find Marcus. Wei resided near the entrance, frozen in place with all that was happening around him.

As Wei was about to move, when five-foot tall woman suddenly walked up to him, wine glass in hand and a mischievous smile on her face. Dressed in a long but loose scarlet dress with an large boob window exposing her ample chest and cleavage, she grabbed Wei's left wrist and gingerly placed it on her right boob. "You look very handsome, foreigner. How about we talk and... get to know each other?" she purred seductively. Her skin was white with a small tan which contrasted her dark ebony hair. Her hazel green eyes looked up at Wei with fascination and intent. Her body shape was fit but her hips were slightly wider than most women and she walked barefooted.

"I-... I..." Wei tried to talk but his mind was shutting down at the sight of the alluring woman in front of him. "I-I am very honored you feel that way but-but me and my friends are here on business. You-... you don't happen to know where Marcus the gladiator is do you?" he stammered finally.

The woman slid her open hand underneath Wei's open shirt and tweaked his nipple. He yelps and the woman chuckles. "My name is Clara Petri. You?"

"Wei Chang"

"Well Wei, I _might_ say where Marcus is if we..." she then thought for a moment until she decided. "Took a bath together?" Wei's eyes went wide and the air was knocked out of him. "Marcus has a private bath in his basement nobody else knows about but me, and I have the keys. How about it?". Thinking that this would help the mission and nothing else, he agrees, albeit reluctantly. "Excellent! Now come"

When she started to gently lead Wei by the hand, Wei could only pray that they would ONLY talk. "Buddha protect me" he muttered.

**Elsewhere...**

While Wei was dealing with his own situation, Shidou and Guan roamed the downstairs in search for their gladiator. Many party goers bumped their way as well as many flirty women. Guan actually stopped to flirt with some of them but it only lasted for a minute until he and Shidou continued walking.

"You seemed excited when you heard that there were gladiator fights. Why is that?" Shidou asked.

The old general chuckled. "I like a good fight. And these gladiator fights seem like a perfect test of my skills. Plus, it reminded me of my younger days of fighting in underground tournaments"

"You fought in an underground match? Weren't they questionable in their conditions and highly dangerous?" Shidou questioned.

"That I did and yes they were" Guan proudly stated. "I was similar to Marcus in many regards. I was the reigning champion three years running. Might've stayed that way too if I didn't leave"

"Then why did you?"

Guan smiled fondly and said, "I met my wife and a friend. They pulled me out of that life and I started a meaningful career in the military". Shidou simply nodded in response. "I love fighting. It thrills me and I feel like it thrills you as well. Me and you have similar spirits, only..."

"What?"

"There is something else to you. A certain sadness or despair. It is like I am looking at a shot arrow, never meant to return"

When he said this, Shidou looked away and quiets, refusing to respond to Guan's observation. It told volumes to Guan that the young man was searching for something greater, something much more personal. It was like Lin and possibly Wei if he decided to question him about why he came west.

They all came to Heathmoor not to explore, but because of a personal motivation. Something forced them out of China and as much as Guan wanted to know them, he understood why they would hide their scars. Hell, he was doing the same.

Shidou tapped Guan's shoulder and pointed towards the stairs. "Look at Wei"

The old man did just that and almost bellowed out in laughter at what he saw. Wei, looking as red as lava, was being lead by hand by Clara as the two approached the basement stairs. Although the old general pitied his monk friend, the sight of him weak in the knees by a beautiful woman was priceless.

"You know, as mature as Wei can be, he is _really _weak against women and their feminine charms" Shidou noted. "We should keep that in mind. That might actually develop into a severe problem if Wei doesn't work on it"

**Elsewhere...**

"So that's the painting you made?"

"Mmhm"

"It's... pretty?" Lin shrugged. She had never been an artsy type of person but she could appreciate fine art all the same.

Lin and Thomas went together, to Lin annoyance. Thankfully he wasn't acting too bold. If he started his usually behavior in a public place, she would've knocked him out just to shut him up. Currently, they were in Marcus's large upstairs floor, outside his study room and before they could start looking for the man, the paused to marvel at Thomas previous work as it hanged beside the study room entrance.

The painting was just as Thomas described. Marcus was laying sideways with a small white woman with blonde hair in front of him and brunette behind him as she was feeding him grapes. They were all naked but their groins were covered in some way. The blonde had a leg bent in front of her, covering her womanhood. The brunette was sitting behind Marcus while Marcus's manhood was hidden by the blonde.

"Yes it is. I was a blessing to have worked with Marcus. Painting him and those women was an utter delight. They all have beautiful bodies" he happily sighed. "You should've seen what happened after I was done" Thomas then laughed.

"What did they do?" Lin asked wearily.

"Oh, they f-"

Shidou and Guan walk up to them. "Oh, did you guys check this place yet?" Guan questioned. He then noted Lin's red face and as much as he wanted to point fingers at Thomas, he asked regardless. "And why is your face so red Lin?"

"Nothing!" she snapped. "Just-... nothing. We have not searched this room yet so let's look together"

With how hasty she said it, the males could only agree. They made their way into the strangely large study and noted how peculiar it was that someone like Marcus even had a study in the first place. It was actually closer to a library as there were many shelves with books, creating a miniature maze out of the room.

As Lin and Thomas walked to the end of the maze, soft moaning was heard stopping the nuxia. She listened more intently and speed-walked her way to the noises with Thomas in tow. They finally approach the source... only for Lin to turn red as a tomato and turn away.

There was a red velvet couch turned away from them covering most of the sight of a man and woman making the beast with two backs. The woman was a freckled redhead and she was bouncing atop her man, whose identity was concealed by the couches back.

"O-Oh! Marcus! You're so big!" the woman moaned.

"I-...it seems like we found Marcus..." Lin groaned.

"That we have" Thomas said. "Marcus!"

The woman riding Marcus jolts at the voice and looks over at them. She yelps in response of the new arrivals and covered her chest. "Why the hell did you stop?" Marcus grumbled.

"We have visitors"

Quirking an eyebrow, Marcus gets up and looks at them as Shidou and Guan arrive as well. "Ah, Thomas! Long time no see!". He then got up, revealing himself in his nude splendor, prompting the Wu Lin to look away. The gladiator walks up to Thomas and was about to hug him, but the artist backed away.

"Sorry, but no" Thomas said. "You're sweaty" to which Marcus nonchalantly shrugs.

"You only care that he's _sweaty_?" Lin muttered in disbelief.

When his eyes landed on Lin, Marcus smirks and approaches to Lin's discomfort. "My, my. What a lovely maiden you are"

"Weren't you just fornicating with that woman there?' Lin deadpanned.

"Judging from your tone you aren't interested?"

"No. Not in the least bit"

Marcus raised his shoulders in indifference. "Your lost. Viola, let's continue shall we?". The redhead looks at Marcus stunned but resigned as the idea of being watched while having sex turned her on.

"No so fast" Shidou stopped him. "We are here to talk"

The king of gladiators chuckled in amusement. "Don't you know it's impolite to make a woman wait. Can't you see dear Viola is suffering without my company?".

"This is about Bloody Rose" Guan stated. Immediately, Marcus understood their purpose; they were here for political reasons. What a bore, he thought.

He sighs tiredly. "Viola, wait here. Unfortunately, I have business to attend to". He then walks to enter the shelf maze.

"Before any of that..." Lin then stopped Marcus. "PUT ON SOME DAMN PANTS!"

"You people are already harping on my nerves" Marcus grumbled as he searched for his trousers.

**Later...**

Marcus leads them to his bedroom for more privacy. With how crowded the manor was at the moment, the group concluded the best and most peaceful place would be the places Marcus locked up. Those being his personal bedroom and his private bath. With a perverted smile, Marcus proposed the bath first but with Lin disliking how he was undressing her with his eyes and the fact Shidou and Guan saw Wei enter the bath, the group vehemently declined.

Now within the privacy of the luxurious room, they went straight to business with Thomas standing by; should the discussion need his expertise, he will join.

"So... why are foreigners like yourselves interested in a star like me?" Marcus questioned as he sat on his bed.

"We simply come to negotiate whether or not you would want to advocate for the Iron Legion rather than Bloody Rose" Guan calmly said.

Marcus broke out into an hysterical laugh, taken back by their purpose. Once he started to calm back down, he said, "As... tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I'm happy where I stand with Bloody Rose, thank you very much"

"Marcus," Thomas began to say. "Don't you think that Bloody Roses' mission is a bit... I don't know... ambitious?"

"Maybe, but it matters little to me in the end" Marucs proclaimed. "Should they succeed, they promised me I would be living like a god, but should they fail, it matters very little; I'm still gonna live the high life".

"So that's all this amounts to? Your greed?" Lin snarled, almost enraged. She had seen selfish, hurtful greed before and its effects on those in its way. She would be damned if she was ever going to see it again.

The gladiator shrugged her off. "We live in this world for ourselves. I'm simply ensuring my own survival and success"

"Why you-!" But Guan stopped Lin before she could lay a hand on the gladiator king. She looks up to see him smirking at the ebony man and she questioned what he was planning to do.

"You seem like a confident man, Marucs" Guan simply stated.

Marcus took the compliment, puffing his chest out proudly and crossed his arms. "Why shouldn't I? I'm strongest gladiator to ever live and I have everything I ever wanted. I have every right to feel confident" he said smugly.

"If that is the case, then why ally yourself with Elizabeth Saint? If you truly have everything you ever wanted and more, then there is no reason for you to support any legion regardless of their mission".

Marcus quirked an eyebrow at the old man. "What are you saying?"

Guan's smirk only widened. "You're afraid of Elizabeth Saint"

The statement hit close to home as Marcus glared at the man, tightening his hands so much blood would have dropped. How could this old geezer look down on him and say he was afraid?! He was Marcus! King of the gladiators! Like hell he was afraid of some peacekeeper and her army!

Marcus marched up and pulled Guan's collar until the two were eye-to-eye. "Don't insult me old man" he growled.

"Ah, so you are afraid"

"Like hell I'm afraid of some cocky little assassin!"

"Wow, calling the kettle black much?" Shidou muttered.

"If I were to make a guess, you fear her power and feared that if you refused her, she would target you" It was a shot in the dark, but that was the only thing Guan could think of that was the most plausible. From what he had said, Marcus did not care about the conflicts of the legions and only looked out for himself and his interest. It was either he was threatened or he genuinely admired Saint. He was pleased it was the former.

Marcus flinched when he said that but quickly regained himself. "Quit your nonsense! I can make that woman submit to me faster than you can blink! Like hell she is more powerful than ME!"

Marcus couldn't believe he was being pitied by this old man. Everyone knew his name, they knew of his strength yet this foreigner doubted him? Unacceptable was all he could think.

"You are stronger than her, yet you parade her colors?"

Enraged, Marcus throws a sloppy left hook at Guan's face. Unfortunately for him, his fist was caught, and he was thrown off the old general. "You're gonna pay for that"

"Oh? How so?" Guan innocently asked.

"You and me. One-on-one. Fight to the death" Marcus growled.

A battle-hungry grin plasters itself on Guan Yu's face. "I was hoping you'd say that. Very well then. I accept, but let us make a deal: If I win, you must support the Iron Legion-"

"What about my end?"

"Then you can kill me" Guan said grinning. It was a good deal, Marcus thought. He would not only end the life of the man who insulted him, but he would also take out a foreigner, gaining more of Ashfeld's love.

"Deal!" Marcus immediately accepted. "Come to the coliseum tomorrow afternoon. We will settle our fight there for all of Ashfeld to see".

Guan nodded in acceptance. He beckons the Wu Lin and Thomas out of the room. As they left, Thomas looked back at his friend, only to see him seething in rage and anticipation. He nervously quivered for a moment before catching back up with the Wu Lin. "Are you sure that was the best idea? I know I said he was stubborn, but couldn't you have tried just wee more?". To say he was concerned for the old general did not due justice to his current thoughts.

"You're worrying too much, Thomas. Everything will be fine" Guan chuckled at him, mostly dismissing the danger of his current situation.

"You say that as if you are going to win"

"Well, that is the idea" Guan laughed.

"Do not make light this situation!" Thomas then exclaimed as he moved in front of the elderly warrior. "Though I have not seen you fight, I can tell you are skilled and experienced. But Marcus is in a whole different league. He will be a whole different kind of opponent once you step into the ring against him"

"Truly, I appreciate your concern" Guan nodded. "But worrying now won't help us. For now, we must keep a level head and put faith in my skills". Truth be told, he was excited. If Marcus was anything like the words he has been told, the fight will be a good one. He could not wait to engage him. "Now, with that out of the way, let's find Wei. We must tomorrow is going to be a productive one, so we should all get our needed sleep".

"I wholeheartedly agree"

The group turn to see the shaolin monk but were surprised to see Wei with more than a few lipstick marks on his face and chest. Unable to contain his amusement, Guan keeled over as his stomach pained from all his laughter. Wei turned his head bashfully to the side as his face reddened ever more than it was.

"What happened to you?" Shidou questioned.

"I-... spoke with a woman about some interesting stuff" he answered.

"Seems to me you two did more than talk. Tell me, how did your first time go?" teased Guan.

Wei snapped his head towards him, blushing madly. "We did not do any of _that_! We really just spoke, but... she did... kiss me a few time... BUT NOT ON THE LIPS!"

"What did you guys talk about?" Lin then asked.

"Interesting subjects actually. However, today has been to eventful, and I just want to head to bed. Can we go home now? I'll inform you all later".

Guan's laughter was loud and boisterous, and Wei couldn't help but blush more in embarrassment.

**Meanwhile...**

The redhead Marcus was with, Viola, came to Marcus's room minutes after the Wu Lin left. Clothed, she enters his bedroom to find the king of gladiators shining his armor and weapons, mumbling curses at a certain jiang jun.

"I swear, I'm gonna gut that old-timer and parade his corpse-"

"Marcus?"

"Oh! Viola! Come, come" Marcus beckoned.

Smiling, Viola sat herself on Marcus's lap as he continued polishing his equipment. As he did do, he expression turned dark again and the redhead couldn't help but become unnerved. "What happened?".

"You know that old man, right? He insulted me and now we challenged each other to a duel set for tomorrow at the coliseum".

"Well, he just dug his own grave. No one can beat you, my love. You want to know why?"

"Oh? Tell me then" he smirked as he set his pauldrons down and snaked his arms around her waist.

"Because you're the king. And no one, and I mean no one, can defeat the king"

His smug disposition faltered for a second until he gathered it back up again. "Yeah... I'm the king"

But as he said this a memory flashed in his head.

***Flashback***

There was a hooded woman with red roses on her standards holding a sword to his throat. He was on his knees as he stared up at this woman in black.

His body was hurting all over. The two of them dueled for god-knows how long. He prided himself on having tremendous stamina but while he was sweating and panting like a mutt in summer, she looked like she broke little to no sweat at all. She was calm as she stared down at his beaten, pathetic form and for a moment, he swore he saw her chuckle.

His anger was like no other. She stared down at him with humorous pity and he could stand it, but he couldn't fight. He barely had any energy left. Then there was his heart. He faced every opponent with amusement and confidence, but as he looked up at this woman's dark eyes, his heart pumped no confidence, no bravado, none of the usual emotions.

He only felt fear.

She suddenly spoke. "Tell me, are you _really_ a king?"

***Flashback end***

"I'm the king... I'm the king..." he kept repeating to himself without taking note of Viola's growing discomfort.

"Marcus?". Without warning, she suddenly found herself on her back against the bed, her hands pinned above her head and Marcus straddling her thin waist.

"I'm the king... as the king, I get everything I want". His rough hand grabs her breast, causing the redhead to let out a pleasureful moan.

"You... you sure do" she panted like a bitch in heat.

Marcus embraced her lips in a passionate kiss. His hands move all over her body, unclothing her until she was as bare as before.

Even though his body was occupied with the redhead, his troubled mind drifted in and out between her and Guan and Saint. His movements became more aggressive as the memory of the two fueled his temper. 'And no one can say otherwise'.


End file.
